Dan Lukasik is the Judicial Wellness Coordinator for the New York State Office of Court Administration.
Dan has given keynote speeches and presentations around the country on the topics of depression, anxiety, and stress. He tells a powerful story of his struggles with depression, learning to manage it, dealing with the stigma surrounding mental illness, and helping others to overcome it.
Ten years ago, Dan created a weekly lawyer support group in his community for those who struggle with depression and a website lawyerwithdepression.com, the first website of its kind in the nation, to help law students, lawyers, and judges cope with and heal from depression. Since its launch, the site has grown to serve not only those in the legal profession but anyone who struggles with stress, anxiety, and depression. The website has been voted one of the top depression blogs in the country for five years running by Medical News Today and Healthline.com.
Dan’s work on mental health has been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The National Law Journal, The Washington Post, Thrive Global, ABA Journal, Law360, LAW.COM, on CNN, NPR, and many other national and international publications.
He has lectured around the country on the topics of stress, anxiety, and depression before corporations, law firms, mental health organizations, bar associations, CLE programs, and law schools including Harvard and Yale. Dan has presented at large and small organizations including Delaware North, Uniland Corp, Praxair, Hodgson Russ, LLP, Belluck & Fox, LLP, Gross Polowy, LLC, the American Heart Association, Evergreen Health, the American Psychiatric Association, and Hospice to name a few.
Dan is the Executive Producer of the original documentary, “A Terrible Melancholy: Depression in the Legal Profession,” which has been viewed by legal industry professionals around the country. He was the recipient of the Public Service Merit Award from the New York State Bar Association, and The Distinguished Alumni Award for Public Service from his law school alma mater for his work in addressing mental health in the legal profession.
A member of the New York State Bar Association’s Lawyers’ Assistance Committee, Dan works in concert with committee members across the state to help and assist those who struggle and create policies that promote mental health in the legal profession.
In 2017, Dan created a coaching practice specifically for lawyers at Yourdepressioncoach.com. Since then, he has coached and mentored over 150 lawyers from across the U.S. who struggle with a variety of mental health and career issues.
In 2019, Dan was chosen as a national spokesman by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (“SAMSA”) in Washington, D.C. as their spokesman in a PSA film of someone living successfully with depression.
A 1988 magna cum laude graduate of the University at Buffalo School of Law, Dan was voted by the over 4,000 members of his Bar Association to the “Legal Elite’s Top 10: Best of the Best” as one of the most respected lawyers in his community and listed in the publication, “The Best Lawyers in America.”
