Attorney Ciera Lipps Appointed to The Florida Bar’s Mental Health & Wellness of Florida Lawyers Committee

Elizabeth Zwibel Law is proud to announce that Litigation Attorney Ciera Lipps has been appointed to serve on The Florida Bar’s Mental Health & Wellness of Florida Lawyers Committee, effective July 1, 2026.

The appointment letter, addressed directly to Attorney Lipps, reads in part:

“I am pleased to appoint you to serve on the Mental Health & Wellness of Florida Lawyers Committee effective July 1, 2026. I appreciate your dedication to the legal profession. Thank you for your commitment and service to The Florida Bar. I look forward to working with you this year.”

It’s a recognition that goes beyond casework. Committee service is voluntary and unpaid, and it sits at the center of one of the legal profession’s most pressing internal conversations — the well-being of the people practicing law itself.

A Statewide Committee With a Growing Mandate

The Mental Health & Wellness of Florida Lawyers Committee was established to carry forward the Florida Bar’s 2018–19 Strategic Planning Priority focused on lawyer wellness, continuing work first started by the Bar’s Special Committee on Mental Health and Wellness of Florida Lawyers. Its mission, as defined by the Bar, includes:

• Destigmatizing mental illness within the legal community
• Educating employers, judges, and lawyers on how to identify and address mental health concerns among Florida attorneys
• Developing best practices for law firms and legal employers
• Creating continuing legal education (CLE) programming focused on mental health and wellness
• Interfacing with Florida Lawyers Assistance, Inc. to expand access to confidential support — not just for members already facing Bar grievance issues, but for the profession as a whole

In short: this committee doesn’t just talk about lawyer wellness. It builds the infrastructure — CLE credits, Bar rule recommendations, and direct partnerships with assistance programs — that Florida’s licensed attorneys rely on.

The committee’s current work builds on the groundwork laid back in 2017–18, when the Bar first convened a Special Committee on Mental Health and Wellness of Florida Lawyers. That earlier committee held a series of statewide town hall meetings, giving attorneys a rare, structured space to speak openly about the pressures of practice — pressures that, until recently, were rarely discussed out loud within the profession. The standing committee Ciera now joins continues that work on a permanent basis, rather than as a one-time initiative.

The Bar also maintains a Mental Health and Wellness Center, a resource hub developed in connection with the committee’s efforts. It includes CLE videos, podcasts, guided meditations, self-assessment tools, and curated research — all aimed at giving Florida attorneys practical, accessible ways to manage the demands of practice before they become crises.

Why Attorney Wellness Is an Industry Issue, Not Just a Personal One

The data behind this committee’s mandate is sobering. A landmark 2016 study conducted by the American Bar Association’s Commission on Lawyer Assistance Programs and the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation — the first national study of its kind, surveying roughly 15,000 licensed, employed attorneys across 19 states and published in the Journal of Addiction Medicine — found that:

• 21% of licensed, employed attorneys qualify as problem drinkers
• 28% struggle with some level of depression
• 19% demonstrate symptoms of anxiety

Notably, the study found that attorneys in their first ten years of practice showed the highest rates of these issues — a reversal of older assumptions that behavioral health problems worsened later in a career. Florida Lawyers Assistance, Inc. (FLA-LAP), the state’s dedicated confidential support organization for the legal community, separately reports that 32% of lawyers under 30 report a problem with alcohol or substance use, and that 11% of lawyers report having had suicidal thoughts at some point in their career.

Numbers like these are exactly why a standing Bar committee — and attorneys willing to serve on it — matter. If you or someone you know in the legal profession is struggling, Florida Lawyers Assistance, Inc. offers free, confidential support at (954) 566-9040.

Ciera Lipps: A Litigation Attorney Committed to the Profession

As a Litigation Attorney at Elizabeth Zwibel Law, Ciera Lipps represents clients in contested matters that demand precision, resilience, and clear-headed advocacy — qualities that make attorney wellness a professional issue, not a side concern. Her appointment to the Mental Health & Wellness Committee reflects a commitment to the legal profession that extends beyond her caseload and into the structural health of the Bar itself.

What This Means for EAZ Law

Elizabeth Zwibel Law has represented Florida’s seriously injured and underinsured since 1988. A firm built on trial-ready advocacy depends on attorneys who are equipped — personally and professionally — to sustain that standard over the long term. Ciera’s appointment reflects that same principle applied to the profession she serves.

Get to Know the Team at EAZ Law

Ciera Lipps joins a team of litigators and trial attorneys who bring both aggressive advocacy and genuine care to every case they take on. For nearly four decades, Elizabeth Zwibel Law has built its reputation on serious representation for seriously injured clients — the kind of trial-ready advocacy that requires attorneys who are supported, sustainable, and equipped for the long haul. Recognition like this one are a reflection of that standard, not a departure from it.

To learn more about our litigation team or to schedule a consultation, contact our team or call 844-LIZ-WINS.

A note for our legal community readers: If this article resonates with you, help is available. Florida Lawyers Assistance, Inc. provides free, 100% confidential support for attorneys, judges, and law students — call (954) 566-9040, or visit fla-lap.org to learn more.

Sources:

• The Florida Bar, Mental Health & Wellness of Florida Lawyers Committee
• Krill, P.R., Johnson, R., & Albert, L. (2016). The Prevalence of Substance Use and Other Mental Health Concerns Among American Attorneys. Journal of Addiction Medicine.
• Florida Lawyers Assistance, Inc., fla-lap.org