LAPBC - Lawyers Assistance Program of BC

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LAPBC - Lawyers Assistance Program of BC The Lawyers Assistance Program of B.C.

provides peer support & referral services for alcohol & drug, depression, anxiety, and other issues, to members of the legal community.

Legal workplaces can be demanding without being harmful. But how do we draw the line between high-pressure and toxic?Joi...
10/14/2026

Legal workplaces can be demanding without being harmful. But how do we draw the line between high-pressure and toxic?

Join employment lawyer and workplace investigator Jessica Forman, along with Claire Marchant and Jeff Naylor, for a 3-part workshop series exploring the connection between workplace culture, psychological safety, and well-being. You'll learn how to recognize and address bullying and toxic behaviours while building healthier, more respectful legal environments.

🗓️ Tuesdays: November 3, 10 & 17 | 12:15 – 1:30 PM
👥 Open to all members of the legal community

Register here: https://info.lapbc.com/psychological-safety-in-law-2026

Grief can feel overwhelming, but you don't have to go through it alone. It has been said that "grief shared is halved," ...
10/13/2026

Grief can feel overwhelming, but you don't have to go through it alone. It has been said that "grief shared is halved," and that's exactly what this confidential workshop offers: a safe space to connect with peers who understand. Join "The Grieving Process: Life after the Loss of a Loved One," hosted by Michael Kahn and Michael Lederman.

Sessions run every Monday from November 2 to December 7.

Register now: https://info.lapbc.com/the-grieving-process-2026

Some stories go back a long way.In 1989, Art Vertlieb, K.C., founded LAPBC around a simple idea: that members of the leg...
10/12/2026

Some stories go back a long way.

In 1989, Art Vertlieb, K.C., founded LAPBC around a simple idea: that members of the legal community should be there for one another when someone is struggling.

More than 35 years later, that story is one of many woven through Art’s new book, Art of Law: Stories of a Life in Practice — a collection of stories about the people and relationships that shape a life in law. Art is generously donating the net proceeds from the book to LAPBC.

Over the coming weeks, we’ll be sharing more of Art’s stories and reflections, leading up to a special conversation with Art on December 2.

We thought we’d start here: Art and his longtime friend Russ Mackay, who worked alongside Art in LAPBC’s earliest years and became its first program coordinator, on the cover of The Advocate in November 1994.

The effort to "fit in" at work shouldn't lead to burnout. For many neurodivergent legal professionals, masking is a dail...
10/07/2026

The effort to "fit in" at work shouldn't lead to burnout.

For many neurodivergent legal professionals, masking is a daily reality, and it takes a toll. Join Chelsea Bergeron and Claire Marchant for "Hidden Work: Masking, Burnout, and Well-Being in Legal Practice" to explore how legal culture impacts well-being and what we can do about it.

🗓️ Wednesday, October 28 | 12:15 – 1:30 PM (Zoom)
✅ 1.25 CPD credits
👥 Open to all members of the legal community

Register now: https://info.lapbc.com/hidden-work-masking-burnout-and-well-being-in-legal-practice-2026

Seventeen years ago, Jeff Naylor reached out to LAPBC as a first-year associate who needed support. Since then, he's bee...
10/06/2026

Seventeen years ago, Jeff Naylor reached out to LAPBC as a first-year associate who needed support. Since then, he's been a client, a volunteer, and now a lawyer counsellor.

In his latest reflection, Jeff looks at what has lasted as LAPBC has changed: a culture built on authenticity, vulnerability, care, and mutual support. He pictures LAPBC's founders as people who decided there were other ways to be lawyers, and other ways to show up for one another.

Legal culture still tells lawyers they should be overly stressed and distant from each other. Jeff doesn't think it has to be that way. "It is now our turn to be brave."

Read Jeff's full reflection: https://www.lapbc.com/blog/roots-and-branches-reflections-on-community-continuity-and-the-future-of-lapbc

September 30 is the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.Today, we remember the children who never returned home, S...
09/30/2026

September 30 is the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.

Today, we remember the children who never returned home, Survivors of residential schools, and the families and communities who continue to live with the lasting impacts of the residential school system.

For those of us who work in and around the law, this day also asks us to reckon with the role legal systems and institutions have played in the harms experienced by Indigenous peoples - and with our responsibility to keep listening and learning.

We hope today offers time to listen to Indigenous voices, to learn, and to reflect on the work of reconciliation that continues beyond September 30.

Join LAPBC's workshop, "Brains at Work: Neurodiversity in the Legal Community," from October 7–21. This three-week works...
09/29/2026

Join LAPBC's workshop, "Brains at Work: Neurodiversity in the Legal Community," from October 7–21. This three-week workshop series is designed to highlight the strengths that neurodivergent minds bring to legal practice, while addressing the real challenges around masking, communication, and burnout.

Hosted by Chelsea Bergeron (ADHD & executive functioning coach), Erin Peters (psychotherapist & former lawyer), and Claire Marchant.

Secure your spot: https://info.lapbc.com/brains-at-work-neurodiversity-in-the-legal-community-2026

Join Marv Stern and Claire Marchant on Tuesday, September 29, for the workshop, "Thriving Through Civility - Enhancing W...
09/22/2026

Join Marv Stern and Claire Marchant on Tuesday, September 29, for the workshop, "Thriving Through Civility - Enhancing Well-Being in Legal Practice."

Learn practical strategies to:
✔️ Reduce stress through respectful communication
✔️ Build resilience and stronger professional relationships
✔️ Foster a culture of civility in your workplace

👥 Open to all members of the legal community

Register here: https://info.lapbc.com/thriving-through-civility-enhancing-well-being-in-legal-practice-2026

Law is inherently demanding. But much of what makes it feel unbearable isn't the work itself. In the September issue of ...
09/18/2026

Law is inherently demanding. But much of what makes it feel unbearable isn't the work itself.

In the September issue of The Advocate, a BC lawyer writes anonymously about spending years trying to change their firm's culture from the inside, the isolation that followed when nothing moved, and what it finally took to ask for help.

The turning point wasn't dramatic. It was practical: working with a counsellor to identify what was making things worse, journalling what actually helped, and building a personal toolkit for the hard days. Small, concrete steps that added up to a real shift.

Their takeaway is worth sitting with: "You can always change your circumstances. You just need the right tools and to be willing to ask for help when you need it."

Read the article on our blog: https://www.lapbc.com/blog/law-is-hard-but-we-make-it-harder-on-ourselves

LAPBC's workshop, "Self-Compassion," starts next week on September 24!Through conversation, reflection, and practical ex...
09/17/2026

LAPBC's workshop, "Self-Compassion," starts next week on September 24!

Through conversation, reflection, and practical experimentation, discover what happens when you relate to yourself with the same wisdom and understanding you might offer a respected colleague. Open to all members of the legal community. Secure your spot: https://info.lapbc.com/self-compassion-2026

Address

415/1080 Mainland Street
Vancouver, BC
V6B2T4

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 6pm
Tuesday 8am - 6pm
Wednesday 8am - 6pm
Thursday 8am - 6pm
Friday 8am - 6pm

Telephone

+16046852171

Website

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