Why Trauma-Informed Lawyering Matters
This CLE introduces attorneys (and paralegals) to trauma-informed lawyering, an approach that recognizes how trauma shapes a client’s experience of the legal system and adapts legal practice to reduce harm and improve outcomes. Whether you’re representing clients in personal injury, civil rights, foster care abuse, wrongful death, or other emotionally complex cases, understanding trauma is essential. This presentation explains how trauma can affect memory, trust, behavior, and communication, and how traditional legal strategies may unintentionally retraumatize or alienate your client.
Participants will learn how to structure intake meetings, discovery, and trial preparation in a way that empowers clients and strengthens case outcomes. We will also cover common ethical challenges, including how to handle sensitive disclosures, involve family or support persons, and navigate early settlement discussions with care.
Debbie Silberman has been an attorney at Stritmatter Law for two years with a primary focus on representing survivors of sexual abuse, sexual harassment, and institutional misconduct. Drawing on over a decade of courtroom experience, Debbie brings a client-centered, trauma-informed approach to every case—whether she’s advocating for an individual survivor or holding a public entity accountable. She has a reputation for blending fierce litigation with deep empathy for her clients. Debbie also loves to present CLEs on AI and the Law. Before entering civil law, Debbie spent 11 years as a public defender in Brooklyn, honing her trial skills and cross-examination instincts.