A MESSAGE FROM THE 2026 CoLAP CONFERENCE CHAIR
Dear Colleagues and Partners,
On behalf of the American Bar Association’s Commission on Lawyer Assistance Programs, I am honored to invite you to join your fellow LAP collaborators and partners at the 2026 National Conference for Lawyer Assistance Programs.
Serving as conference chair this year has been a privilege. I am inspired by the remarkable legacy of colleagues who have devoted decades to supporting lawyers facing mental health challenges. Their dedication grounds our work as we consider an essential question: How do we integrate modern research, direct feedback from those we serve, and the wisdom of those who came before us to meet the evolving needs of the legal community?
As conversations about well‑being continue to grow across the profession, our goal is to help guide this dialogue and ensure it remains rooted in data.
Our mission requires both steadiness and openness—we cannot become stagnant, nor can we overlook new pathways to healing. From this spirit of inquiry and growth emerges our theme for this year: The Connected Lawyer: New Data as a Call to Action.
As conversations about well‑being continue to grow across the profession, our goal is to help guide this dialogue and ensure it remains rooted in data. Our mission requires both steadiness and openness-we cannot become stagnant, nor can we overlook new pathways to healing. From this spirit of inquiry and growth emerges our theme for this year: The Connected Lawyer: New Data as a Call to Action.
Warmly,
Michelle Fontenot, JD, MEd
Conference Chair, 2026 National Conference for Lawyer Assistance Programs
Director, Texas Lawyers’ Assistance Program
ABOUT THIS EVENT - MCLE CREDITS TO BE OFFERED
Mark your calendars and plan to join us for this premier legal event. Attendees, including lawyer and judicial assistance programs professional staff and volunteers, lawyers, clinicians, judges, legal educators and law school deans, law students, treatment providers, regulators, and legal employers, will gather from across the globe to share leadership, guidance, and insights.
This event offers unparalleled access to national experts to discuss developing and emerging issues on a wide range of topics regarding the continuum of well-being relevant to the legal profession, including mental health and mental illness, alcohol and other substance use disorders, well-being technology, hybrid workforces, diversity, equity, and inclusion, and access to justice.
MORE INFORMATION
Interested in becoming a conference sponsor or exhibitor?
Please contact Tashiana Williams at tashiana.williams@americanbar.org for more information. Please review the Sponsorship Brochure here.
Scholarships
A limited number of registrations are available to those who are unable to attend the program due to financial hardship. Contact Tashiana Williams at tashiana.williams@americanbar.org to request a registration scholarship. Decisions are based upon individual circumstances. Request for a scholarship must be received no later than September 4, 2026.
Continuing Legal Education (CLE)
The ABA will seek 10.5 hours in 60-minute states and 12.6 hours in 50-minute states overall, including 3.5 hours of Mental Illness Awareness credit and 9.25 hours of Wellness credit in 60-minute states and 4.2 hours of Mental Illness Awareness credit and 11.1 hours of Wellness credit in in 50-minute states.
Credit hours are estimated and are subject to each state's approval and credit rounding rules. Please visit www.americanbar.org/mcle for general information on CLE at the ABA.
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