Dan is a lawyer, mental health advocate, law professor, and public speaker who has delivered over 250 presentations on stress, anxiety, burnout, and depression across the U.S. His work has been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, NPR, CNN, WebMD, The National Law Journal, ABA Journal, Law360, Bloomberg Law, and many other national and international media outlets.
Dan has given CLE-eligible mental health programs to law firms, law organizations, national and state bar organizations, and law conferences throughout the U.S. over the past twenty years on a range of topics, including stress management, burnout, anxiety, depression, suicide awareness and prevention, and time management and productivity.
Dan is an instructor at the New York State Judicial Institute, a member, and a major contributor to the New York State Bar Association’s Attorney Well-Being Task Force, which produced the report, “This is Us: From Striving Alone to Thriving Together,” a member of both the New York State Bar Association’s Lawyer Assistance Committee and Judges Assistance Committee, and was voted by the 3,000 lawyers in his bar association “Top 10: Best of the Best” as one of the most respected lawyers in his community and was regularly listed in the publication, “The Best Lawyers in America.” In 2007, Dan created a depression group for lawyers in his community, which is still going strong nearly twenty years later and meets twice per week.
He is the executive producer of three mental health documentaries.
“A Terrible Melancholy: Depression in the Legal Profession” is a 30-minute documentary that explores the causes and solutions of a mental illness that afflicts over forty percent of all lawyers at some point in their legal career. It features interviews with lawyers, a judge, a psychiatrist, a law professor, a psychologist, and Joshua Wolf Shenk, a Yale graduate and the author of the best-selling book, “Lincoln’s Melancholy: How Depression Challenged a Presidency and Fueled His Greatness.” The film has been screened throughout the U.S. at law firms, law conferences, judicial conferences, and law schools.
“My Brother Lost in Time: A Bipolar Life” is a 15-minute documentary about Dan and his younger brother, Paul, that premiered in 2024. This heartfelt short film explores the bond between the brothers and their shared struggles with mental illness. Dan has lived with major depression for the past 25 years, and his brother Paul, who suffered from bipolar disorder, tragically passed away in 2023. The film premiered on PBS and is available to watch on its YouTube page. New York State NAMI (the National Alliance for Mental Illness) screened the film at its 2025 conference, and Dan delivered the keynote address. The organization awarded him its “2025 Leader of Mental Health Awareness Award.”
“Travels with George: A Journey Through Depression, Connection, and Friendship” is a 20-minute documentary that shares the story of Dan and his friendship with a nine-year-old boy named George, which began 10 years ago, and how it helped him heal and manage his depression. This inspirational film premiered before a sold-out audience in October 2025 and made its television debut on PBS in February 2026.
Dan created two websites. The first, Lawyers with Depression, was launched fifteen years ago to educate, support, and offer hope to those in the legal profession who struggle with depression and other mental health issues. For his work and advocacy, Dan has received several awards, including The New York State Bar Association’s “Award of Merit” and the University at Buffalo School of Law’s “Distinguished Alumni Award.” He is a law professor at UB, where he teaches the course “Mental Health and Well-Being in the Legal Profession,” and has guest lectured at law schools including Harvard, Yale, and the University of Pennsylvania.
The second website, the Buffalo Depression Project, was launched in 2025 to provide information, resources, and support to the one million people in Buffalo and Western New York.
For the past six years, Dan has been the New York State Judicial Wellness Coordinator, creating mental health and wellness programs for the state court system’s 16,000 employees, including judges, lawyers, clerks, court officers, secretaries, and magistrates.
