Fit To Practice

The path of recovery from addiction can be a long and bumpy one, as demonstrated by a recent report of an Illinois Hearing Panel. The attorney had been placed on disability inactive status in 1996 as a result of problems associated with substance abuse and bipolar disorder. He was reinstated in 1998 but lapsed (an arrest for driving under the influence of alcohol and failure to attend therapy sessions) and was returned to disability inactive status. After several failed attempts at reinstatement, the hearing panel found that he is now fit for return to active practice with a series of conditions including a practice mentor for two years, no alcohol or drug use with random testing and compliance with a program of recovery. (Mike Frisch)