If your mum had to go and see a lawyer, how would you want them to treat her?
Or, if a friend of yours had been through a really hard time, was mega-stressed, and had to seek legal advice. What attributes would you want the lawyer to show?
Your answers are likely to demonstrate why lawyers need to be trauma-informed.
It’s a subject we at The Carvalho Consultancy are passionate about.
But what does the term ’trauma-informed’ even mean?
It’s someone with some knowledge and understanding of how emotions and psychology work and yes, even, a bit of neuroscience.
No, you don’t have to be an expert. A scientific boffin.
But you do need to be someone who understands feelings and emotions.
And gets that the interrelationship of feelings and the legal system is not an easy one.
Who understands what the common side and after-effects of trauma are? And the impact they have on how people come across.
Because the uncomfortable truth is that, people who are traumatised (to a greater or lesser degree) can often come across as unreliable witnesses.
As not remembering things properly.
As being ‘too emotional’.
In law, traditionally, rationality has been king. We’re only just waking up to the fact that this approach is ridiculously outdated.
At The Carvalho Consultancy we believe it’s no longer an option for lawyers to say ‘We don’t do feelings’. You need to. It’s your responsibility. If you don’t, you can cause harm to people.
And it’s a fascinating process becoming trauma-informed! Look at lawyers like Amerdeep Kaur in Scotland. Up there, you can obtain certification as a trauma-informed lawyer. Why don’t we have this in England via The Law Society?
During the pandemic, I devised our own training on how to become a trauma-informed lawyer. And we have been delivering it to lawyers up and down the country. So whether you’re a family, criminal, medical negligence, personal injury, pro bono lawyer, or anyone else…we can help!
Contact us through Linked In or our website if you’d like to hear more. And give us a follow on LI to hear much more about the intersection of trauma and law in the coming weeks.
PS if you’re looking for a book about trauma, this is one I read recently that’s pretty good.