Dan Lukasik
Judicial Wellness Coordinator
New York State Office of Court Administration
Dan is a 1988 graduate of the University of Buffalo School of Law and is the Judicial Wellness Coordinator for the New York State Office of Court Administration.
Following his diagnosis of major depression thirteen 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 and anxiety. Since its launch, the site has grown to serve not only those in the legal profession but anyone who struggles with these conditions. The website has been voted one of the top depression blogs in the country 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 Washington Post, The National Law Journal, Thrive Global, ABA Journal, Law360, and many other national and international publications and media outlets, including CNN and NPR.
He has lectured around the country on stress, anxiety, and depression before corporations, law firms, mental health organizations, bar associations, CLE programs, and law schools including, Harvard and Yale.
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 and New York State Judicial Wellness 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 2010, Dan was voted by the over 3,000 members of his bar association headquartered in Buffalo, New York 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.”
