Ethics/Professional Responsibility
Jun. 22, 2026
When helping hurts: Understanding and managing vicarious trauma in legal practice
Attorneys absorb clients' trauma every day, yet the profession rarely acknowledges the toll. Recognizing vicarious trauma is essential not just for lawyer well-being, but for competent, sustainable advocacy.
Every day, attorneys step into the lives of people in crisis. We listen to stories of family dissolution, domestic violence and profound loss. We carry our clients' burdens through depositions, settlement conferences and trials. But there's a cost that law schools rarely mention: the cumulative weight of absorbing others' trauma.
Vicarious trauma, or secondary traumatic stress, occurs when professionals become emotionally affected by the traumatic experi...
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