On Demand
Audio
Trauma-Informed and Victim-Centered Lawyering in Domestic Violence Cases and Beyond
Produced on March 06, 2017
Course Information
Course Description
Clients often seek legal assistance in times of extreme vulnerability. It is crucial for lawyers to be able to identify and address the effects of trauma, and to understand the impact of trauma on their client’s behavior. Understanding trauma and its role in the court and justice system will enable attorneys to better advocate on behalf of their clients.
At the core of a trauma informed practice is the ability to adapt and adjust one’s approach in response to the client’s triggers. Furthermore, it is imperative to develop and establish trust between attorney and client.
This course, presented by Jennifer Friedman, the Managing Director of the Center for Legal Services at My Sisters’ Place, reviews the various ways in which trauma may present itself in a client, provides tools for effective rapport building, offers concrete interviewing strategies, and presents approaches to navigating the complex and often re-traumatizing legal system.
Please be advised that this program contains strong language related to domestic violence and abuse that may not be appropriate for all audiences.
Learning Objectives:
- Understand basic principles of trauma-informed lawyering
- Learn fundamental skills for conducting interviews with survivors of domestic violence
- Identify strategies for navigating the justice system on behalf of your client
- Identify appropriate resources in the community
- Provide guidelines for addressing confidentiality and safety concerns
Credit Information
Faculty
Jennifer C. Friedman
Sanctuary for Families
Jennifer Friedman is a lawyer, advocate, and activist with over twenty-five years of experience in the movement to end gender-based violence. In 2018 she rejoined Sanctuary for Families, where she is the Director of Family Law and Policy for the agency’s practices in the Bronx and Manhattan Family Justice Centers. Previously, when Friedman graduated from law school with an Equal Justice Works public interest fellowship, she created, and for ten years directed, the Courtroom Advocates Project (CAP) at Sanctuary for Families, which remains one of the largest and most successful pro bono domestic violence programs in the country. Prior to returning to Sanctuary, Friedman served as the Managing Director of the Center for Legal Services at My Sisters’ Place in Westchester County, where she supervised a family law and immigration legal practice providing representation and advocacy to survivors of domestic violence and human trafficking. Before joining My Sisters’ Place, Jennifer worked at Pace University School of Law, where she served as the Founding Executive Director of the Pace Community Law Practice (PCLP), an innovative legal services center dedicated to representing low and moderate income immigrants, and training recent law graduates for legal practice. Prior to that, she served as the Director of the Public Interest Law Center at Pace, where she created and managed pro bono and public interest career development programs for law students. Ms. Friedman is a 1993 graduate of Columbia College, and a 1998 graduate of Columbia Law School, where she was a Kent and Stone Scholar. Ms. Friedman is the recipient of many honors and awards, including the New York City Bar Association’s 2008 Katherine McDonald Award for Service to the Family Courts, and the Columbia Alumna Association’s 2003 Alumna Achievement Award.
Reviews
Excellent presentation
Excellent
very applicable to representing clients with trauma issues, not just domestic violence. I have represented clients in capital cases who suffered from child sexual abuse and from living on the streets. This program had lots of applicability to those situations. Thanks!
Terrific presenter!
Very enjoyable, interesting, and you could tell the presenter was very passionate about her work.
Great course - extremely useful for the work I do in the foster care system.
Should be mandatory
Great practical information on implementing a trauma-informed practice when working with domestic violence victims.
Excellent interview suggestions.
Best presentation I've seen so far! Presenter was polished, professional, and pitch-perfect; great presentation.
very practical
clear and understandable
Eye-opening, crucially important, elegantly crafted and presented,.
Excellent speaker and content
very good speaker
Excellent presentation. Kept my attention the entire time.
interesting psychology over lay with the Legal aspects of the situation
Very informative seminar
I thought Ms. Friedman was excellent.
great presentation and pertinent topic
Really excellent presenter with obvious experience in this area.
great lecuturer
Very good concise coverage of this topic.
Excellent.
Great presenter
excellent presentation. My sisters place is invaluable resource in westchester county
While all of my Lawline courses have been useful. this was the best, most useful course to me in my practice. The instructor was thoroughly knowledgeable. Thank you very much for offering it!
The instructor did a great job. I prosecuted domestic violence cases in NY for 10 years. They are very difficult cases, and she did a great job of explaining some of the real challenges facing attorneys working with victims. Well done.
Outstanding information regarding the impact of DV and trauma upon the DV client; Very valuable info regarding understanding and building an effective rapport and Attorney client relationship with DV clients.
This course was excellent! Great information and a rarity among typical CLE courses. This was very good information I can actually use. Great instructor too.
Thank you
Very good information
Great speaker!
This was an excellent presentation. great practical tips!
excellent
Outstanding presentation. Highly recommended.
Most informative
Excellent.
Speaker's passion for advocacy is obvious and contagious.
This was very informative!
This was incredibly interesting and very cogently presented!