Lauren Sharkey, past chair of the Young Lawyers Section, recalled on May 15 her experience working with the New York State Bar Association to remove mental health-related questions from the state bar application. Sharkey said that these questions were believed to discourage aspiring attorneys from seeking treatment and contributed to a broader mental health crisis in the legal profession.
Sharkey described her involvement in presenting a proposal before the House of Delegates. “As part of the Young Lawyers Section, we were asked to be part of a report that was submitted to the House of Delegates, and even though I was one of many people who worked on that report, I was asked to co-present with David Marshall of the Committee on Legal Education and Admission to the Bar. That was a really cool experience, being able to present that to the House of Delegates.”
She explained how various groups collaborated on examining why prior mental health history appeared as a question on bar applications. “There were lots of different groups involved, so the Young Lawyers Section was asked to comment and be part of the group. We were asked to examine the application to the bar. On it, it had some questions about prior mental health history. Our job was to ask, ‘Why is that? Why was that question on there? What purpose does it serve? Is it important for applicants to disclose it, should that affect their admission?’”
“Ultimately,” Sharkey continued, “the working group recommended that it not be included – that the question be eliminated. Just because someone has some mental health history should not be a distinctive factor of them being admitted.” As a result of this advocacy effort by association members like Sharkey and others involved in related committees and sections, those mental health questions were removed from applications within months.
The New York State Bar Association advances professional success for its members while promoting equal access to justice and upholding rule-of-law principles according to its official website. The association fosters cultural well-being through initiatives designed for public understanding and extends services worldwide with members across all U.S. states and over 100 countries according to its official website.
The association encourages other members or affiliates who have special memories about its work or impact during its 150th anniversary year celebrations.
