Lawyer Assistance Program Staff

LAP staff currently includes a full- time associate director, two full- time senior counselors, and one part- time outreach & education coordinator. Staff are supported by the Lawyer Assistance Committee (LAC) members and volunteers. The LAC is a standing D.C. Bar committee of up to thirteen lawyer members and one non lawyer member. In addition, many LAC volunteers assist the LAP mission.

Associate Director
Denise J. Perme, LICSW has over 25 years of experience in counseling and mental health, with a focus in mental health and substance use disorders. She has supervised clinical staff and managed the LAP since 2006. She has a B.A. in Psychology and an MSW from the University of Maryland School of Social Work, with a concentration in Occupational Social Work. Denise is licensed to practice clinical social work in Maryland and the District of Columbia. She has presented a wide variety of trainings and educational seminars to folks in public and the private sector while working in the D.C. Bar LAP and for two national EAP providers.

Outreach & Education Coordinator
Niki L. Irish, LICSW has over 15 years of experience in the mental health field, with a focus on wellbeing and addiction. For over ten years she served as the Senior Counselor for the D.C. Bar Lawyer Assistance Program (LAP), providing lawyers and law students with addiction and mental health assessments, counseling, consultation and psychoeducation. Niki currently serves as the Outreach and Education Coordinator for the LAP providing a variety of trainings and educational seminars to law schools, legal employers, voluntary bar associations, and other legal organizations. Niki has a B.S. in Psychology and Family Studies and an MSW from the University of Maryland School of Social Work, with a concentration in Employee Assistance Programs. She is licensed to practice clinical social work in the District of Columbia.

Senior Counselor
Sharon Greenbaum, LICSW provides lawyers and law students with addiction and mental health assessments, counseling, consultation, and psychoeducation. She has over 10 years of experience in counseling and mental health. Sharon has a B.A. in Psychology and Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies from The George Washington University and an MSW from The Catholic University of America. She is licensed to practice clinical social work in the District of Columbia and Virginia.

Senior Counselor
Jessie Joachim, LPC, LCPC provides lawyers and law students with addiction and mental health assessments, counseling, consultation and psychoeducation. She has over 10 years of experience in counseling with a focus in mental health, resilience, and substance use disorders. Jessie has a B.A. in Psychology and a Master of Arts in Community Counseling, with a concentration on Employee Assistance Counseling from Argosy University. She is licensed to practice professional counseling in the District of Columbia and Maryland.