After founding a New York City Bar Association program that provides substance abuse and mental health services a quarter century ago, Eileen Travis announced on Monday that she’s retiring and handing the reins to a protege.
Travis, who has served as the director of the bar’s Lawyer Assistance Program since its creation in 1999, will be succeeded by Meredith Heller, a former chair of the LAP Committee.
Heller, a criminal defense attorney with civil and criminal experience in state and federal court, has worked closely with lawyers undergoing the program. She has represented attorneys in disciplinary proceedings, helped participants reapply for the bar and spoken about substance abuse to young lawyers at Appellate Division, First Department orientation programs and law schools.
“Meredith Heller’s deep understanding of the challenges lawyers face, combined with her long-standing involvement with LAP’s work and commitment to its mission, makes her the ideal person to lead the program into its next chapter,” said City Bar Executive Director Bret Parker in a statement. “We are confident that under her leadership, LAP will continue to provide the vital support the legal community needs.”
When Travis built up the LAP system, the substance abuse landscape looked very different. She envisioned a system that provides free, confidential services including assessment, intervention, supportive counseling, monitoring and a network of peer counselors.
LAP coordinates with the Character & Fitness and Grievance Committees in the city’s appellate court divisions, helping bar applicants with substance issues get admitted to the bar and helping suspended and disbarred attorneys to get reinstated. The program also provides educational presentations to reduce stigma around mental health and substance abuse issues.
“Eileen Travis has been instrumental in transforming how the legal profession thinks about mental health and substance abuse,” said Parker. “When LAP was created in 1999, seeking help for these issues carried enormous stigma. Through Eileen’s tireless work, compassionate leadership, and dedication to reducing that stigma, she has profoundly changed the culture of the legal profession for the better. We are deeply grateful for her quarter century of service.”
LAP’s confidential helpline is available at 212-302-5787.
