E D I T O R ’ S
M E S S A G E
Di n e e n Pa s h o u k o s Wa s y l i k – DP W Le g a l
on Becoming a trauma-informed profession
A
a trauma-informed approach realizes the impact of trauma,
recognizes the signs and symptoms of trauma, responds
by taking trauma into account when formulating policy, and
avoids re-traumatization.
s retired Sixth Judicial Circuit Judge
Lynn Tepper puts it, “once you see it,
you can’t unsee it.” In editing this
month’s articles, the big theme that
jumped out at
me was trauma, and the
various ways we are working
toward making our system
more trauma-informed. A
trauma-informed approach
is evident in the Thirteenth
Judicial Circuit’s new A Slice
of Mary Lee’s House waiting
area for children (see page 14).
Helping veterans recover from
the trauma that leads to
addiction, mental health
struggles, and eventually crime
is the impetus for our Circuit’s
Veterans Court, highlighted in
both the State Attorney’s column (see page 12) and the
Senior Counsel Section’s article (see page 58). The
Collaborative Law Section article focuses on a more
trauma-informed path toward dealing with mental illness
in family law situations (see page 26). Even the
Community Services’ Committee’s Pirate Plunder Party
(see page 28) is designed to help traumatized children.
Those practicing family law,
criminal law, or dependency
are likely familiar with the
move toward a trauma-
informed approach, but those
in other practices may be
unaware of this important
paradigm shift. A trauma-
informed approach realizes
the impact of trauma,
recognizes the signs and
symptoms of trauma, responds
by taking trauma into account
when formulating policy, and
avoids re-traumatization. 1 The
Florida Supreme Court has
adopted as a guiding principle in family law cases the
continued on page 5
J. Logan Murphy Elected Chair of The American
Bar Association Young Lawyers Division
congratulations to hcBa Member J. logan Murphy, who was recently elected chair of the american
Bar association young lawyers division (aBa yld) for the 2019–2020 term. Murphy assumes the role of
chair of the aBa yld following his service as secretary in 2017 and chair-elect in 2018. Murphy serves
as the first chair from tampa in nearly 20 years; he is a shareholder with local firm hill ward henderson.
among his responsibilities as chair, Murphy has committed to focus on priorities including mental
health and wellness in the legal profession, law school debt and finance, innovation, and the future of
the practice of law.
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J. Logan Murphy
NOV - DEC 2019
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HCBA LAWYER