Legal community expertise
Leadership spans law, legal wellness, peer assistance and professional advocacy.
Mental health advocacy
Board members help advance awareness, stigma reduction and suicide prevention.
Peer support perspective
The organization is grounded in lived experience, recovery and authentic connection.
John V. McShane, J.D.
Passionate activist and thought leader for lawyer and law student wellness.
For nearly 50 years, John has been a passionate activist and thought leader for lawyer/law student wellness. After a serious and nearly fatal bout with acute alcoholism in the early to mid-1970’s, John surveyed the landscape of the legal profession and found it was evident that there was an epidemic of alcoholism and drug addiction among his colleagues.
In an effort to combat this problem, John initiated and co-founded Dallas Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers (“LCL”), a confidential support group for lawyers impaired by alcohol and/or drugs in January of 1978, which became the model for LCL groups throughout the United States and internationally. These lawyer support groups also led to the formation of Lawyers Assistance Programs (LAPs) in every state in the nation. In his home state of Texas, John was a driving force in the formation of the Texas Lawyers Assistance Program (TLAP) in 1990, which has become one of the leading LAP organizations in the country.
As a result of a severe bout of clinical depression in 2003, during which he experienced firsthand the debilitating nature of depression and at times became acutely suicidal, John realized that LCL groups and LAPs needed to expand the focus on lawyer wellness to include resilience, stress management, depression, anxiety, relationships and process addictions (sex, food, gambling, pornography), in addition to alcohol and drug issues. He found that lawyer depression and anxiety was an even more pernicious problem than lawyer substance abuse and that the suicide rate among lawyers had reached epidemic proportions. In 2001, in an effort to address this disturbing trend among attorneys, John incorporated the Professional Wellness Institute (PWI), which has been rebranded as “McShane’s Mission – No Lawyer Stands Alone,” and in 2008 began “The Monday Night Group,” a weekly support group for attorneys, judges, and law students who suffer from depression, anxiety disorders and other mental health challenges.
John’s achievements have been profiled on dozens of radio and television programs, as well as in newspapers, magazines and journals, including the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, The Dallas Morning News, and a significant profile in the American Bar Association Journal entitled “The Passionate Practitioner.” He is also the author of a critically acclaimed book, The Senior Partner: The Ultimate Spiritual Path to Peace, Freedom and Prosperity, which is a compelling memoir of his personal spiritual journey
1978
Co-founded Dallas Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers
1990
Helped advance Texas Lawyers Assistance Program
2001
Incorporated Professional Wellness Institute
2008
Began the Monday Night Group
David Huntt Baker, J.D., LLM
David is the Executive Director of McShane’s Mission and the National Association for the Prevention of Attorney Suicide (NAPAS). As a volunteer in the recovery community, David has been a regular presenter at CLE programs before law firms, in-house legal organizations, and international audiences, helping to raise awareness, reduce stigmas, and provide information about the challenges of mental health and suicide within the legal profession.
David’s involvement in the wellness and recovery community includes serving as chairman of the State Bar of Texas’ Lawyers Assistance Program (TLAP), chairman of the Dallas Bar Association’s Peer Assistance Committee, president of the Dallas Lawyers Concerned with Lawyers (LCL), co-chairman of the Texas Lawyers concerned for Lawyers Conference, and providing monitoring and lawyer assistance on behalf of the State Bar of Texas’ Lawyers Assistance Program (TLAP). As in-house counsel with AT&T, David coordinated with department leadership, Human Resources and Benefits professionals to establish the AT&T Legal Department “Live Well Legal Network”, a wellness program for all legal professionals within the department. David received his JD from South Texas College of Law in Houston, his LLM from the Dedman School of Law at Southern Methodist University, has completed training in Mental Health First Aid and extensive training in Drug and Alcohol Counseling at Dallas College.
Guided by a dedicated Board of Directors
McShane’s Mission is guided by a dedicated Board of Directors whose collective experience spans law, mental health advocacy, business and community leadership. United by a shared passion for improving attorney well-being, the Board provides strategic oversight, governance, and support to advance McShane’s Mission of promoting mental health, reducing stigma, and saving lives within the legal profession.
William D. Beard, J.D.
Bill Beard founded his firm specializing in personal injury, criminal defense, and family law.
Terry Bentley Hill, J.D.
Terry Bentley Hill is a nationally recognized mental health advocate and criminal defense attorney in Dallas.
Paul S. Jacobs, J.D.
Paul Jacobs is an attorney with the Texas Lawyers Assistance Program (TLAP), a confidential department of the State Bar of Texas, where he helps judges, lawyers, and law students with mental health and substance use disorders.
Vicki J. Johnson, M.S.
Vicki is the Secretary of McShane’s Mission and has been a critical member of the organization since its inception.
Allison M. Knight, J.D.
Allison is passionate about providing space for authenticity in the legal profession to reduce the stigma of mental health and addiction challenges.
Andrea McShane
As a board member, she currently serves as the corporate treasurer.
Tom Nelson, J.D.
Thomas Nelson earned both undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Texas at Austin.
Dana Mays Nichols, J.D.
Dana Mays Nichols has been a zealous advocate for attorney mental health for nearly a decade.
Mark Wasem
Mark Wasem has practiced law in Dallas, Texas, for more than four decades, representing oil and gas and energy companies in complex national and international transactions.
Advancing attorney well-being with clarity, care and conviction.
Support
Connecting legal professionals with non-stigmatized peer support and access to trusted resources.
Advocacy
Increasing awareness of mental health challenges, addiction recovery and suicide prevention in law.
Stewardship
Providing governance, oversight and leadership to preserve the mission and strengthen its impact.
Support is led by people who understand.
McShane’s Mission leaders bring lived experience, professional expertise and a shared commitment to saving lives within the legal community.