Judy Rushlow

Judy Rushlow, who served as the assistant director of Florida Lawyers Assistance Inc. for twenty-two years, was appointed executive director by the Florida Bar Board of Directors in October 2017. Judy received her Bachelors Degree in Business Administration from the University of Miami and her Juris Doctor from Nova Southeastern University. She is a Florida Bar member since 1980, a member of the Broward County Bar Association, the American Bar Association and is active with the ABA Commission on Lawyer Assistance Programs. Judy has been a Certified Addiction Counselor for over twenty years. Her experience and background are invaluable to the success of FLA and to the healing of suffering legal professionals. Judy is in charge of managing the staff and overseeing the day-to-day operations of FLA. In addition to her administrative duties, Judy’s responsibilities include compassionate interaction and counseling with lawyers, law students and other legal professionals who were either referred to FLA by the Bar or the Bar Examiners or sought it out voluntarily to address their substance abuse or mental health problems. These counseling responsibilities are the foundation of the FLA program. Managing FLA is a unique position, in the morning Rushlow may be creating and defending the organization’s annual budget and then have to instantly transition into a compassionate, listening, instructive, counselor for a desperate lawyer calling for help. Often times, the callers just need a person they can confide in so they can get through that day or moment. Judy’s own spiritual well-being and her dedication to helping lawyers get and stay well motivates her to juggle all of her responsibilities. Judy has been was instrumental in saving many a lawyer’s life and career over the past twenty-two years.