The New York State Bar Association has announced the launch of a task force to help lawyers serve clients with mental health challenges in the face of a “crisis in mental healthcare” in New York.

The Task Force on Mental Health and Trauma Impacted Representation is co-chaired by Sheila Shea, director of the Mental Hygiene Legal Service, Third Judicial Department, and Joseph Glazer, deputy commissioner of the Westchester County Department of Community Mental Health, and it includes attorneys working in private practice, government and public defense around the state.