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In May, 1976, a group of recovering chemically dependent lawyers and judges in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, met to hear Judge Leon Emerson of Downey, California, speak on California's support system for chemically dependent lawyers. The Twin Cities lawyers were interested in forming a similar organization in Minnesota.

Lawyers attending this meeting included Fred Allen, Warren Eustis, Judge Eugene Farrell, R. J. Fitzgerald, Paul Fling, Gerald R. Freeman, Earl Isensee Jr., John McEachron, William R. Nelson, Ellsworth Serstock, Edward Vaverick, Mike Welch, and Dick Wright. They were founders of Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers (LCL).

After the speech, the group discussed the fact that many lawyers and judges in Minnesota were suffering from chemical dependency; creating problems for themselves, their families, their clients, and their law firms. The group also felt that chemically dependent lawyers and judges would not acknowledge their condition unless another lawyer or judge in recovery intervened face-to-face. Recovering lawyers and judges would provide the understanding and compassion necessary to successful treatment when the chemically dependent lawyer or judge was assured of confidentiality.

During the next two months, the group planned to create a formal organization that would benefit not only the judicial system but also clients and families of afflicted lawyers and judges. This organization would hold membership and recovery information in strict confidence.

In July, 1976, Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers (LCL) was formed. One month later, the founders incorporated LCL as a non-profit 501(c)3 organization and began a campaign within the Minnesota State Bar Association to publicize its mission. LCL then asked two highly respected judges, Edward Devitt, U.S. District Court, St. Paul, and Susanne Sedgwick, Hennepin County District Court, Minneapolis, to serve on its first board of directors although they were not chemically dependent. Their presence in LCL, according to its founders, would help members of the bar and bench more effectively become aware of LCL's mission.

In 1999, LCL and the Minnesota State Bar Association jointly petitioned the Minnesota Supreme Court for funding to expand LCL's scope and mission to include the full range of behavioral health and other significant personal problem afflicting lawyers, judges, and law students. This Lawyers Assistance Program (LAP) would, through the strength of the LCL volunteer organization:

1. provide education about alcohol/drug, mental health and other behavioral health problems affecting those in the legal profession;
2. offer professional assessments;
3. connect lawyers with appropriate resources;
4. support individuals in recovery;
5. help family members, friends, colleagues and employers learn effective ways to intervene earlier and support individuals into and after various forms of behavioral healthcare treatment.
6. develop institutional policies and systems to support wellness and healthy choices for those in, and entering, the legal profession.

LCL's mission was expanded in 2001 to include mental health issues, stress and other work-related problems, and financial and family problems.