Capital District Lawyers Helping Lawyers Group Honors Attorney With Ray of Hope Award
11.21.2023
David Keehn, an attorney with the state Department of Environmental Conservation, received the Ray of Hope Award in recognition of the significant contributions he has made to lawyer well-being.
Keehn is a past co-chair of Capital District Lawyers Helping Lawyers, one of 13 New York State Bar Association peer-led support groups that offer confidential assistance to legal professionals struggling with substance use and mental health issues. Keehn assisted in creating public service announcements advertising that help is available, provided peer support to lawyers in need and promoted the mission of the support group. The public service announcements he helped create have aired before New York State Bar Association Continuing Legal Education courses.
“David embodies the spirit of the Ray of Hope Award through his many years of service and the way he helps fellow lawyers with mental health and substance use issues,” said Richard Lewis, president of the New York State Bar Association. “David’s longstanding support of Capital District Lawyers Helping Lawyers has been a godsend to countless legal professionals on their road to recovery.”
The Ray of Hope Award is named after the first director of the New York State Bar Association’s Lawyer Assistance Program, Ray Lopez, who established New York State’s first such program more than 30 years ago. Keehn was honored last week at a dinner recognizing all the volunteers who support the bar association’s lawyer assistance program.
