Recognized globally as a leading authority on addiction, mental health, and well-being in the legal profession, Patrick R. Krill is an attorney, licensed and board-certified alcohol and drug counselor, author, researcher, and advocate.  He serves as a trusted advisor to large law firms and corporate legal departments throughout North America and Europe, educating them about and helping them navigate addiction, mental health, and well-being issues on a daily basis. 

Patrick's highly specialized background and unique breadth of knowledge relating to the substance use and mental health of lawyers make him a widely sought-after expert and trusted resource for solving one of the legal profession's most difficult problems. His clients include many of the largest, most prominent, and widely-respected law firms in the world.

Patrick's groundbreaking work in the area of attorney behavioral health includes: initiating and serving as lead author of the first and only national study on the prevalence of attorney addiction and mental health problems, a joint undertaking of the American Bar Association Commission on Lawyer Assistance Programs and the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation; creating the framework for the ABA Well-Being Pledge, an innovative campaign to improve the health and well-being of lawyers that was launched in September 2018; partnering with American Lawyer Media to conduct the first-ever survey of AmLaw 200 firm leaders regarding their beliefs and attitudes related to addiction and mental health problems in the legal industry.

Patrick is the former director of the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation's Legal Professionals Program, a preeminent clinical treatment program for addicted attorneys, judges, and law students. While leading that program, he counseled many hundreds of legal professionals from around the country who sought to better understand and overcome the unique challenges faced on a lawyer’s road to recovery.  From young solo practitioners to equity partners in the largest global firms, law students to sitting judges, Patrick has successfully counseled patients from around the world and across all practice settings, offering distinctive guidance and uniquely qualified insights about achieving and maintaining recovery, health, and well-being in the practice of law.

Patrick has authored more than seventy articles related to addiction and mental health, including a frequent advice column for Law.com, and regular contributions to CNN.com and other national outlets.  Also a regular source for print and broadcast media, he has been quoted in dozens of national and regional news outlets, including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, and countless legal industry trade publications and blogs. Patrick has been a guest on numerous national broadcasts, including multiple appearances on NPR and the Dr. Drew Podcast.

As a frequent speaker about addiction and its intersection with the law, Patrick has taught multiple graduate-level courses in addiction counseling and has spoken, lectured, or conducted seminars for more than two hundred organizations around the world, including law firms, professional and bar associations, law schools, and corporations.

Patrick serves on the Advisory Committee to the American Bar Association Commission on Lawyer Assistance Programs, and in October 2017, was honored with the Commission’s Meritorious Service Award for Outstanding Contribution to Lawyer Well-being.  In 2017 he was also appointed to ABA President Hilarie Bass’s Working Group to Improve Lawyer Well-being, and is a member of the National Task Force on Lawyer Well-being, and co-author of its 2017 Report, The Path to Lawyer Well-being: Practical Recommendations for Positive Change. In November 2016, he was presented with the “LCL Founders Award for Service to the Profession” by Minnesota Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers.

BA, Political Science, and Government, American University

JD, Loyola Law School

LL.M., International Law, American University Washington College of Law

MA, Addiction Counseling, Hazelden Betty Ford Graduate School of Addiction Studies

Bar Admission:

California