The mission of the M. Patricia Carroll Fund is to extend a helping hand to members of the legal profession in crisis: judges, lawyers, and law students, struggling with serious mental health, substance abuse, alcoholism, or other addictive or behavioral issues. The need is vast: a 2016 ABA survey of more than 12,000 lawyers nation-wide found that one out of every five attorneys identified themselves as problem drinkers, and nearly one in three struggle with depression.
As Pat and John Carroll observed, many of these individuals face financial obstacles in addressing their health needs: insurance coverage is unavailable or insufficient, and, often as a result of years of impairment and uneven employment, there is otherwise no ability to pay. The M. Patricia Carroll Fund participates in the funding of treatment where assistance is necessary.