Journalist Jay Stapleton of the CT Law Tribune reports the following, "The Connecticut Bar Examining Committee has unanimously voted to change some of the questions it asks of new law license applicants regarding any mental health conditions they might have, making it less likely that law students will avoid being treated for substance abuse or depression out of fear it might ruin their careers.
Advocates for privacy rights, including former Supreme Court Justice David Borden and the American Civil Liberties Union of Connecticut, had called for questions to be narrowed or removed altogether. Borden questioned the value of even asking law license applicants about their mental health, saying, "it's impossible to predict future misconduct."
The CBAC was apparently listening. At its last meeting, the CBEC voted to change the questions it will ask about mental health in order to determine "fitness" of applicants seeking a law license. According to the changes approved at the April 25 meeting, starting in February 2015, the bar examiners will ask more narrow questions focused on the applicants' conduct and competence, rather than general questions about any past diagnosis."
For more information on this topic, please click on the link below:
http://www.ctlawtribune.com/id=1202654036299/State-Restricts-Mental-Health-Questions-To-New-Lawyers#ixzz30t2bJEaN
Oh boy. No discrimination against lawyers for suffering from the normal human condition.
ReplyDeleteWonder if the same will apply in Family Court.
Hector