September 16: Shielding the Carer: Understanding and Managing Secondary Trauma in the Legal Profession

This course is designed to educate attorneys about secondary traumatic stress and how it can adversely affect the attorney. 

It is based upon the understanding that working with traumatized individuals is part of many attorney’s professional practices. Indeed, many of us spend considerable time with victims of trauma, either learning their stories in person or through secondary sources like reports, photographs, recordings, interviews with others and through pretrial and trial testimony. These interactions can take a significant emotional toll of the professional, particularly with repeated exposure over time. 

This presentation will explain what secondary trauma is, explain other conditions including burnout, compassion fatigue, depression, anxiety and substance use disorder that can be the result of the stress we experience in repeatedly working with people's traumatic experiences. 

The purpose of this program is to assist attorneys in recognizing their exposure to other’s trauma and how that exposure can harm their ability to fulfill their obligations as attorneys. Finally, the presentation will give strategies for the individual and the institution to better equip themselves to handle the effects of working with this vulnerable population, in other words, how to employ strategies to “shield the carer” from the occupational hazard of working with other individual’s trauma. This includes consultation with LCL, EAPs and other resources that assist attorneys and their staff with these complicated issues.

Title:
Shielding the Carer: Understanding and Managing Secondary Trauma in the Legal Profession
Date/Time:
Tuesday, September 16, 2025, noon - 1:00 pm
Please register using this webinar registration form. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. 
Speaker:
Sarah MacGillis, Outreach Director, Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers
By:
Minnesota State Law Library Continuing Legal Education Programs
CLE Credit:

• Minnesota: One mental health/substance use CLE credit will be applied for.
• Other States: You may be able to self-apply for credit.

More Information And Registration

By Minnesota State Law Library.