The Dave Nee Foundation’s innovative and unique program, Uncommon Counsel, fights depression and works to prevent suicide among law students.  Uncommon Counsel educates law students about depression, its prevalence in the legal profession, and the availability and effectiveness of treatment. 

We achieve these goals by partnering with individual law schools to determine how best to reach their students, including any combination of: 

1. Brochures listing statistics related to depression among the law student population and identifying specific resources available to students on their campuses and in their surrounding communities;
2. Live speakers who share the statistics and the story of Dave Nee with law school classes;
3. Panel discussions with members of the legal profession who have been affected by depression and/or suicide; and
4. Education of law students, faculty, and/or administrators on the risks of untreated depression and warning signs for severe depression. 

Why is this Important?

Nobody talks about depression and mental health issues – especially lawyers.  Attorneys have the highest rates of depression and suicide of any profession and 40% of law students in their third year of school report experiencing symptoms of depression. Further, lawyers are 3.6 times more likely than any other occupational group to suffer from depression. Statistics demonstrate that the rate of suicide attempts among attorneys is increasing as the effects of the economic downturn of the past few years continue to spread. 

It is urgent that law students and attorneys who exhibit the warning signs for suicide get the help they need.  Our goal is to have Uncommon Counsel present in all major law schools around the country. We believe this important program will save lives.

Uncommon Counsel is Making a Difference

The Foundation's Programming Consultant, Kate Bender, made a successful effort during the 2012/2013 school year to survey the impact of Uncommon Counsel amongst participants. 

This is what she found:

• 97.7% of those surveyed reported that the information provided through Uncommon Counsel will help them to recognize the symptoms of depression.
• 95.3% of those surveyed reported that as a result of an Uncommon Counsel presentation, they can now identify 3 warning signs of suicide.
• 88.4% of those surveyed reported that as a result of an Uncommon Counsel presentation, they knew at least 3 places where they could get help for depression, anxiety and other mental health concerns.

Uncommon Counsel 2013 Presentations

Uncommon Counselor Award

Uncommon Counsel's Impact is Growing Every Year