News
Symposium confronts client suicide crisis
-
Print -
Comments
-
“My experience in working both as an attorney and researcher on this project leads me to believe attorneys can be strategic players in the prevention of suicide.”
One of the most difficult and least explored issues of mental health is the role of the attorney who discovers he or she has a suicidal client. As courts become more focused on specific crimes—and with the proliferation of domestic violence courts, veterans’ courts, mental health courts and drug courts—attorneys need training and guidance in understanding people suffering from mental health issues.
To fill this gap, the responsibility and appropriate response of attorneys aware of their clients’ thoughts of suicide will be the topic of a two-day symposium beginning on Dec. 4 and hosted by the UB Law School’s Baldy Center for Law and Social Policy.
The symposium, “Can Attorneys Disclose Clients’ Suicidal Thoughts? Exploring the Ethical and Legal Issues,” is aimed at helping practicing attorneys, scholars and those in public health agencies examine the professional and human issues faced by lawyers when depressed or despondent clients share their temptation to harm themselves.
The opening presentation will be given by Catherine Cerulli, director of research for the Women, Children and Social Justice Clinic in the UB Law School. Cerulli will speak 6 p.m. Dec. 4 on “Why It Matters: An Overview of Suicide as a Public Health Crisis and How It Impacts Attorney Practice.”
“My experience in working both as an attorney and researcher on this project leads me to believe attorneys can be strategic players in the prevention of suicide,” says Cerulli, who also is assistant professor of psychiatry in the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry.
Joining Cerulli on the program will be Teresa Collett, professor and fellow in the Holloran Center for Ethical Leadership, University of St. Thomas School of Law in Minneapolis. She will give the keynote address: “Can Attorneys Disclose Clients’ Suicidal Thoughts? Exploring the Ethical and Legal Issues” at 9 a.m. on Dec. 5.
The speakers will examine the multilayered challenges and factors shaping the best ways attorneys can prevent suicide for their clients.
The symposium also will include two active jurists: Sharon S. Townsend, administrative judge in the Eighth Judicial District, and Patricia D. Marks, Monroe County Court Judge. Also participating are Eric Caine, chair of the Department of Psychiatry, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry; Kenneth R. Conner, associate professor in the Department of Psychiatry, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry; and attorney Edward Nowak, former public defender for Monroe County.
All will participate in a panel discussion, “What Now? Exploring Case Examples of Client Disclosures,” at 11 a.m. Dec. 5. Organizers stress the importance for attorneys to recognize the signs of suicidal intent in their clients and understand the implications of their ethical obligations and case strategies.
The symposium also will feature roundtable discussions led by Cerulli and Conner at 2 p.m. Dec. 5, during which attorneys will learn about suicide-prevention resources and how to work within their own communities. Those attending also will discuss how to create and carry out a protocol to follow when the need for decisive and wise action arises.
The symposium is sponsored by a grant provided by the National Institute of Mental Health.
All programs will be in 509 O’Brian Hall, North Campus. Click here for the full schedule.
Reader Comments