The lawyer-client relationship is a key element of an effective and sustainable trauma-informed legal assistance model. This resource explores the role of vicarious or secondary trauma on the mental health, well-being and performance of legal professionals.
The article aims to inform and improve our understanding of vicarious trauma in legal practice through an exploration of existing research on trauma in areas of professional human services. In doing so, this resource looks at the discursive history of trauma and recent studies on lawyers’ well-being. It then provides an overview of the controversies around recognising vicarious trauma and the stigma around mental health issues in the legal profession. The article concludes by offering practical approaches for law firms and legal professionals in considering trauma-informed policy, practices and supervision strategies.
