LAPBC (Lawyers Assistance Program of BC)

What LAPBC (Lawyers Assistance Program of BC) does

LAPBC (Lawyers Assistance Program of BC) is an independent nonprofit organization headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia, founded in 1989. It delivers confidential counselling, peer support, intervention services, educational workshops, and referral services to members of the BC legal community, including practising and non-practising lawyers, articling and law students, judges and judicial staff, legal support staff, and close adult family members. Service scope spans addiction, mental health (anxiety, depression, burnout), relationships, career transitions, and seven-dimensional well-being, with all offerings provided at no charge to users.

Service delivery is human-driven and operates through a 24/7 phone hotline (local and toll-free), confidential email, in-person sessions at the Vancouver office, and video/Zoom meetings, with service availability province-wide across British Columbia. The clinical team comprises four full-time counsellor-lawyers, three part-time lawyer-counsellors, and one office administrator, supported by more than 300 trained peer volunteers drawn from the BC legal community. The organization runs CPD-accredited educational workshops, facilitated support groups including AA and Co-Dependents Anonymous, peer support matching, structured intervention services, and referral connections to external treatment providers. There is no proprietary technology platform, mobile app, API, or AI-driven automation supporting service delivery.

LAPBC is funded exclusively through a mandatory membership levy collected by the Law Society of BC from its member lawyers, which is then allocated to LAPBC as operating support. Although financially dependent on the Law Society, LAPBC operates as a structurally independent nonprofit with its own board of directors, a separation that is central to its value proposition of client confidentiality. The organization has no parent company, no private equity backing, no disclosed external grants, and no commercial revenue streams; it is not a technology vendor and does not publish APIs or integrations.

Name

LAPBC (Lawyers Assistance Program of BC)

Legal name

Lawyers Assistance Program of BC

Website

https://lapbc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

LAPBC is an independent nonprofit founded in 1989 that provides confidential counselling, peer support, intervention, workshops, and referrals free of charge to BC lawyers, law students, judges, legal support staff, and their families, funded by a Law Society of BC member levy.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Legal Professional Support Services

NAICS

Offices of Mental Health Practitioners (except Physicians) (62133), Other Individual and Family Services (624190)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090)

akta.pro primary industry

Mental Health & Crisis Support Services (BPAGACAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Mental Health & Crisis Support Services (BPAGAEAH)

Keywords

• Lawyer counseling services
• Peer support programs
• Legal professional wellness
• Mental health support
• Substance abuse counseling

Headquarters

HQ city

Vancouver

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Law Society of BC Membership Levy: All LAPBC services are completely free to members of the BC legal community. The Law Society of BC collects a levy from its members to fund LAPBC's operations. LAPBC is an independent nonprofit organization.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

LAPBC delivers confidential counselling, peer support, referrals, and educational programs to members of the British Columbia legal community. Services span addictions, mental health, relationships, well-being, and career/work issues, and are provided free of charge through a 24/7 hotline, email, in-person sessions, video calls, and province-wide workshops. The program is funded by a levy collected by the Law Society of BC from its members while LAPBC remains independently operated to preserve client confidentiality.

Product overview

LAPBC is a non-profit organization providing confidential counselling, peer support, and referral services to members of the British Columbia legal community. The organization operates as a unified service offering without a platform-plus-modules architecture. Core services include: Addictions Support Services, Mental Health Services, Relationships Support, Well-Being Services, Work/Career Support, and Self-Help Materials. Additional offerings include Educational Workshops (CPD-credited), Support Groups (AA, CoDA, accountability groups, Zoom well-being discussions), Peer Support Program with trained volunteers, Intervention Services for colleagues in distress, and Referral Services connecting individuals with external professionals and treatment programs. All services are free and confidential, funded by the Law Society of BC levy.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Addictions Support Services Confidential counselling and support for legal professionals struggling with substance use including alcohol, drugs, and compulsive behaviours such as gambling, shopping, and sexual compulsivity.
• Mental Health Services Support and counselling for depression, anxiety, burnout, and other mental health challenges affecting legal professionals.
• Relationships Support Counselling and guidance for relationship issues, co-dependence, and family challenges faced by legal professionals.
• Well-Being Services Programs promoting holistic well-being across seven dimensions: occupational, intellectual, emotional, social, physical, spiritual, and cultural well-being.
• Work/Career Support Career counselling, practice transition assistance, retirement planning, and support for work-related stress and job dissatisfaction.
• Educational Workshops Workshops on topics including stress management, work-life integration, burnout prevention, imposter syndrome, time management, and depression/anxiety management that earn CPD credits.
• Support Groups Facilitated group meetings including Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, Co-dependents Anonymous meetings, accountability groups, and weekly drop-in Zoom discussion groups focused on well-being in legal practice.
• Peer Support Program Connection with trained volunteer peers from the legal community who provide ongoing support and understanding based on shared professional experience.
• Intervention Services Professional intervention assistance for colleagues exhibiting concerning behaviours related to substance use or mental health, approached with compassion and confidentiality.
• Referral Services Assistance connecting legal professionals with appropriate mental health professionals, treatment programs, specialists, and community resources.

Quantifiable outcome

• More than 60% of lawyers reported anxiety issues over their careers
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Oregon Attorney Assistance ProgramminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLAPBC adapted resources from the Oregon Attorney Assistance Program (JLAP) including lockdown activity lists and well-being resources. Shari R. Pearlman joined LAPBC from the Oregon Attorney Assistance Program, bringing expertise in lawyer assistance programs.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• New York State Bar Association Lawyer Assistance Program (NYSBA LAP): The largest US state-level lawyer assistance program providing free, confidential mental health, substance use, and gambling addiction services to New York lawyers, judges, and law students. Closest direct peer by mandate, structure, and service mix.
• California State Bar Lawyer Assistance Program: California's statewide program providing confidential assistance with substance use, mental health, and other personal issues affecting California lawyers. Direct peer operating under analogous regulatory and funding framework via the State Bar.
• Illinois Lawyers' Assistance Program (ILAP): Illinois-based confidential assistance program for lawyers, judges, law students, and their families dealing with substance use, mental health, and other life challenges. Operates with comparable counselor-staffed, free-service model similar to LAPBC.
• Massachusetts Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers (LCL): Massachusetts nonprofit providing confidential assistance to lawyers, judges, and law students facing substance abuse, mental health, or other personal issues. Direct peer in both mission and operational structure to LAPBC.
• New Jersey Lawyers' Assistance Program (NJ LAP): New Jersey's confidential assistance program serving attorneys, judges, and law students with substance abuse, mental health, and other personal or professional issues. Comparable peer in mandate, funding model, and service offerings — Michael Kahn, an LAPBC counsellor, previously practised in New Jersey.
• Oregon Attorney Assistance Program (OAAP): Oregon's state-level lawyer assistance program that LAPBC has actively partnered with — staff member Shari Pearlman transferred from OAAP to LAPBC, and LAPBC adapted OAAP's lockdown activity lists and well-being resources. Direct peer providing confidential mental health, addiction, and career support to lawyers.
• Texas Lawyers' Assistance Program (TLAP): Texas State Bar-affiliated program offering confidential help for Texas lawyers, judges, and law students dealing with mental health, substance abuse, and other concerns. Closely comparable peer in service scope and Bar-association funding structure.
• Florida Lawyers Assistance Program (FLAP): Florida Bar-affiliated program providing confidential mental health, substance abuse, and addiction support to Florida lawyers, judges, and law students. Direct peer in mission, structure, and Bar-funded operational model.

Regional players

• Lawyers' Assistance Program of Alberta (ALAP): Alberta's provincial lawyer assistance program providing confidential counselling and support to Alberta lawyers, judges, and law students on mental health, substance use, and career issues. Closest Canadian regional peer to LAPBC with analogous provincial law society funding.
• Law Society of Ontario Member Assistance Program: Ontario's law society-funded member assistance program providing confidential personal and professional support to Ontario lawyers and paralegals. Canadian regional peer with similar Law Society funding mechanism, though Ontario's program operates at much larger scale.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/LAPinBC
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lapinbc
• Instagraminstagram.com/lapbc/?hl=en

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about LAPBC (Lawyers Assistance Program of BC)