BeneFitsoFadiverseandtrauma-inFormedLegaLteam
Diversity , Equity & Inclusion Committee Chairs : KatariBuck – AsiaticoLawLLC & TimMartin – MartinLawOffice , P . A .
strengthenyourteam throughawarenessand effectivecommunication .
The legal field can be an intimidating and hostile environment . How can we work together within our individual firms to ensure that our firms are safe and thoughtful spaces , both for our colleagues and our clients ? Let us discuss some benefits of embracing differences and building a trauma-informed team to better to accomplish goals .
The legal field has become much more diverse in the past few decades , and firms should embrace the different lived experiences of both colleagues and clients . Here at the Innocence Project of Florida ( IPF : www . floridainnocence . org ), our staff comes from a multitude of backgrounds . No two colleagues
have parallel lived experiences . We work collaboratively on our common mission , which is benefited by us recognizing our differences and how they contribute to better and more innovative ideas for reaching our goals .
Having a diverse staff helps a clientele see themselves in your staff instead of seeing a wall of faces and voices that they can ’ t identify with , and that clients may even view as adversarial or intimidating . In most cases , clients are seeking legal assistance for problems , not for joyful life events . Recognizing the trauma that your clients have had is important . Trauma , as defined by the Substance Abuse and Mental
Health Services Administration ( SAMHSA ), is “ an event or circumstance resulting in physical harm , emotional harm , and / or life-threatening harm . The event or circumstance has lasting adverse effects on the individual ’ s wellbeing .” Trauma-informed legal firms represent an important shift both in how legal assistance is provided to clientele and how firm staff are treated .
Trauma-informed legal services focus on fostering an environment that centers communication and collaboration . At IPF , our clients have been subjected to unimaginable trauma , being wrongfully convicted
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