Teaching Trauma-Informed Lawyering in a Transactional Practice

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Session Type: Concurrent Sessions

Session Capacity: N/A

Hotel: N/A

Room: Union Square 3&4

Floor: 4th Floor

Teaching trauma-informed lawyering is good pedagogy, and transactional lawyers shouldn’t be left out. Students of transactional clinics often represent clients who have had traumatic experiences that directly inform the legal representation. For example, students may represent entrepreneurs who were recently incarcerated or lost their businesses to a natural disaster. Often, transactional clients were inspired by their own traumatic experiences to launch community or entrepreneurial initiatives. The panelists will share concrete examples of where the need for a trauma-informed lens has arisen, what they did or did not do in the moment, and what they learned from the experience. The session will explore strategies and tools for teaching empathy, resilience, and self-care, often to students uncomfortable with self-awareness and vulnerability. The session will also consider how teaching trauma-informed lawyering in transactional clinics can improve processes and outcomes for clients and contribute to systemic change in lawyering and educating students.