UTCSW MSSW student Sara Ellis was recently appointed to the Executive Committee and Board of Directors of the non-profit organization Lawyers Depression Project (LDP), which is a free and confidential online peer support group for legal professionals and provides weekly remote meetings, group chats, and discussion forums.

Ellis knows there is a great need and is honored to have been appointed to the committee. “Lawyers are almost four times more likely to suffer from depression than non-lawyers,” she explained. “They are five times more likely to die by suicide than non-lawyers, rank first in loneliness among professions, and over one-third of lawyers struggle with hazardous drinking or alcohol abuse.”

After seeing a need for mental health professionals who understand the unique pressures of law, Ellis left her career as an entertainment and intellectual property litigator to pursue a Master of Science in Social Work. “For the last decade, I predominately worked as an entertainment and intellectual property litigator on cases like Williams v. Bridgeport (the “Blurred Lines” case),” she said. “My goal is to provide therapy to professionals in careers where mental health challenges are often ignored, stigmatized, and left untreated. I desire to not only help my colleagues but to change how seeking help is seen in my community by working on the macro level to make institutional changes in the well-being space.” 
 
Ellis is set to graduate in 2023 and has had many accomplishments during her time at UTCSW. She served as a member of the Dean’s Student Advisory Council, 2021-2023; Phi Alpha Honor Society, President, 2022-2023; MSSWO, Treasurer, 2022-2023; Winner of NASW-TN’s 2022 Social Work Day on the Hill MSW Policy Presentation Competition; and is a 2011 graduate of the UT College of Law.  

Click here to learn more about the Lawyers Depression Project
https://www.lawyersdepressionproject.org/