Mental Illness Becomes Major Issue in Legal Community
ALM Media
Updated
06/28/16- Ervin A. Gonzalez,with Colson Hicks Eidson, Coral Gables, Fl.
The death by suicide of prominent Coral Gables trial attorneyErvin Gonzalez thrust the issue of mental illness into focus forlawyers in South Florida.
A statement from Colson Hicks Eidson law firm partner DeanColson did not mention suicide but raised the subject of mentalillness, saying, It pains us to know he was suffering so terriblybeyond his control.
Gonzalez died Thursday at his Coral Gables home. He playedhigh-profile roles in the BP oil spill and Chinese drywallmultidistrict litigation, consumer class actions and wrongful deathcases.
Depression and mental illness in the legal profession are notuncommon, and documented evidence suggests attorneys experiencehigher rates of suicide and substance abuse than other groups. Yetthe stigma associated with mental illness still keeps many fromseeking treatment.
This is also true among Hispanic lawyersand perhaps more so,according Cuban American Bar Association President JavierLopez.
It's devastating. We don't talk about mental health. It's thisgiant unspoken in our community because we're either scared orembarrassed to do so, said Lopez, a partner at Kozyak Tropin &Throckmorton. We need to focus on bringing awareness to this issueand just shed some light on this because we're seeing this happenmore and more.
Lopez recalled the suicide of Coral Gables banker RaulG.Valdes-Faulilast September. Three weeks earlier,Valdes-Fauli had seemed like the happiest guy in the world. Insidehis head was this hurricane that just nobody knew, he said.
At least two other well-known South Florida lawyers have died bysuicide in the last four years.
Lopez noted the Hispanic legal community may be especiallyvulnerable. We have this machismo culture where it might be seenas embarrassing or a sign of weakness to reach out, he said.
He has been talking to the CABA board about finding a way tobring substantive, tangible help to the community and engage inconversations about depression and mental illness. He would like tosee a program that offers attorneys the ability to reach outanonymously or discretely so that the myth of it beingembarrassing or unmacho is removed.
Lawyers in general are three times more likely to suffer fromdepression than nonlawyers, and they rank fifth in suicide amongall professions. Depression and anxiety are cited by 26 percent ofall lawyers who seek counseling,according to MatthewDietz,litigation director of a nonprofit disability rightsadvocacy center.
But social attitudes prevent many from seeking help.
The stigma starts from the moment you apply for the FloridaBar, where you have to disclose if you have any mental illness.That dissuades people, said Dietz, who often gets calls from lawstudents wondering whether they should disclose their condition orget treatment. People who have anxiety or depression are concernedwhether they are even going to be allowed to be in the bar, so it'seasier to not get treatment than it is to worry about whetheryou're going to get in.
High Pressure
Mediator and former Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Ellen Leesfieldsaid the culture in the legal community is I don't have time to bementally ill, I'm too busy. You can't even be sick.
But now we're beginning to see cracks in our armor, and it'sshocking, but it's in some ways not surprising.
Florida Bar president-elect Michelle Suskauer of Suskauer Feuerin West Palm Beach, who will assume the top post next year, ran ona platform that heavily emphasized mental health issues amonglawyers. And Michael Higer, who will be inducted as Florida Barpresident later this month, said that before his first meeting inJuly, he intends to present a proposal to the board of governorsoutlining how the bar can better address health and wellnessissues. The Berger Singerman partner, who was a longtime friend ofGonzalez, said the state's lawyers need a way to deal with suchissues before they become a critical problem.
We work in a very high-pressure environment, and life is tough,and professions are tough because of the enormous responsibility wetake for our clients and the inherent difficulty of what we do aslawyers, saidRamon Abadin, who knew Gonzalez for 25years.
The Sedgwick partner and former Florida Bar president saidGonzalez's death was a reminder that in spite of the externaltrappings of success, people may be in pain. Trial lawyers,particularly, are under an enormous amount of stress, he noted.
Dietz said Gonzalez's high-profile caseload of sometimesdevastating cases may have added to his stress.
For years, he has dealt in these horrible circumstances wherehorrible things happen to people, he said. You swallow and youlive with other people's problems.
Gonzalez's wife, Janice, posted a long Facebook note Sundayabout her high school sweetheart and the love of my life.
I wanted to come out of 'hiding' to let everyone know that I amok and that my greatest desire right now is to have each and everyone of you join me in celebrating the Life of one the most AMAZING,SELFLESS, KINDEST, and LOVING people on this EarthErvin, shewrote. Her comments received more than 500 likes and comments bymidday Monday.
A funeral Mass is set for 10 a.m. Tuesday at Church of theLittle Flower at 2711 Indian Mound Trail in Coral Gables. Burialwill follow at Graceland Memorial Park North at 4420 SW Eighth St.in Miami and then a reception at the Biltmore Hotel.
Monika Gonzalez Mesa writes about the business of law inFlorida. Contact her atmgmesa@alm.com. On Twitter:@MonikaMesa1
