The Illinois Supreme Court has appointed Edwardsville attorney Edward T. McCarthy to the Lawyers’ Assistance Program Board of Directors.
The Lawyers’ Assistance Program provides confidential assistance for lawyers, judges, law students and their families in addressing alcohol abuse, drug dependency or mental health problems.
Madison CountyChief Judge David Hylla said that McCarthy will help oversee the 300 statewide volunteers who provide education, information and intervention to any legal professional in need.
“Ed McCarthy’s appointment is a compliment to him and a great asset to the legal system," Hylla said.
The Lawyers’ Assistance Program was founded in 1980 and is funded by attorney registration fees.
The 14-member board of directors, each appointed by the Supreme Court, provides leadership and oversight.
McCarthy was appointed to the vacancy of retired Fifth District Justice James Wexstten.
“It is my sincere wish to continue the outstanding work done by Justice Wexstten in his years with the Program,” McCarthy stated in a press release.
McCarthy, a partner with McCarthy & Allen, has been practicing law in Edwardsville since 1973. He is a past president of the Edwardsville-Glen Carbon Chamber of Commerce, the Edwardsville Police Pension Fund Board of Trustees, the School Board of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield, the Mental Health Association of Southwestern Illinois and the National Fire and Police Pension Fund Association.
He received the Edwardsville-Glen Carbon Chamber of Commerce Lifetime Achievement Award in 2011.