How to Interview a Client with Disabilities

This program, taught by Lana Pelletier McCrea, attorney with Mobilization for Justice Inc.'s Mental Health Law Project, and Ruth Enriquez, a paralegal with the Government Benefits and Immigration Law Projects, will provide a toolkit for attorneys to improve their interviewing skills with clients who have physical and/or mental health disabilities. 

Every client has a unique lived experience and specific needs, and it is the advocate's duty to differentiate and respond proactively to those particularities during the interview and the entire representation. This course will walk attorneys through best practices for responding to the unique challenges posed by the interview process in these cases. The presenters will also educate attorneys on various accessibility issues that can impact your clients, and specific techniques to build and maintain trust throughout the interview and during the case.  

Learning Objectives:

1. Discuss best practices in trauma-informed advocacy
2. Prepare clients for unexpected or unwanted interventions
3. Identify techniques to build a relationship of trust with clients in the face of unique challenges
4. Raise awareness of accessibility issues and the impact on clients