TLAP was created by the Tennessee Supreme Court in 1999 per Court Rule 33 and it is a Supreme Court Program that operates under the auspices of the Administrative Office of the Courts.
TLAP is a comprehensive, professional mental health assistance program that serves Tennessee’s legal profession. TLAP helps lawyers, judges, and law students. Its mission is to provide totally confidential mental health and substance use disorder assistance, and also help protect the public from the damage that impaired professionals cause.
At its inception, TLAP’s mission was predominantly focused on addressing high rates of alcoholism in the profession. Today, TLAP’s confidential assistance is comprehensive and available for any mental health issue. TLAP is staffed with: 1) an Executive Director who is a lawyer in long-term recovery from alcoholism and is a professional addiction interventionist; 2) Masters-level professional Counselors with specialized skill and expertise necessary to assist legal professionals; and, 3) Administrative Staff.
TLAP’s Commission is comprised of a mixture of leaders from the profession and the public, including a Supreme Court Justice, Judges, Lawyers, Doctors, and Therapists, etc. The Commission Roster can be accessed here: https://tlap.org/commissioners/
TLAP operates in a stand-alone office in downtown Nashville, and it operates independently from any other entity. This guarantees that TLAP confidentiality is dependable on its face. TLAP’s operations are totally compartmentalized, totally discrete, and totally secure.
Most important, all contact with TLAP is confidential as a matter of law pursuant to T.C.A. 23-4-105:
“The records, proceedings and all communications of any lawyers’ assistance program shall be deemed confidential and shall not be available for court subpoena.”
Whether or not a person contacts TLAP for help personally or due to concerns of impairment in someone else, all contact with TLAP is confidential and is not subject to subpoena or any other discovery mechanism. TLAP cannot disclose any information about communications with anyone unless a written authorization is provided and TLAP is instructed to disclose information about the person to a certain party.
TLAP delivers high-quality mental health care support and services that meet industry standards for programs serving licensed professionals such as lawyers, airline pilots, nurses, and doctors. By so doing, persons coming to TLAP can confidently participate in efforts specifically designed to afford the person the opportunity to fully address any mental health issues and, if successful in so doing, objectively demonstrate through participation and cooperation with TLAP that they are fit to practice law, that it is highly unlikely that recidivism will occur, and that they pose no risk of harm to the profession or the public.
In addition, TLAP provides educational programs at CLE Conferences, Bar Association functions, Inns of Courts, Judicial Conferences, Law Schools and Law Firms to raise awareness about mental health challenges faced by members of the legal profession and encourage the utilization of TLAP’s services early on so as to minimize the damage done to the person, profession and the public in cases involving an impaired member of the profession. Early intervention is invaluable and literally save lives and careers.