Speaker:Dr. Teo Ernst
Forensic Psychologist
ModeratorJulie Traun
Director of Court Programs
BASF
Mandatory training on the unpredictable, irrational, and impulsive behaviors from clients lead to significant practical challenges in legal practice. This presentation will provide a framework for understanding psychological factors and dynamics which lead clients to lose trust in their attorney, become non-cooperative to their own legal peril, and engage in otherwise erratic behavior. By drawing on the psychological literature on personality, trauma, and relationship patterns, Dr. Ernst will review well informed strategies to manage challenging client interactions. This presentation will additionally discuss vicarious traumatization in attorneys, and strategies to both avoid and mitigate the impact of recurrent trauma exposure in legal practice.
Topics- The toxic stress of poverty, homelessness and other psychosocial stressors impacts clients thinking, behavior, and judgment, particularly when in combination with mental illness and/or substance abuse. This presentation will provide strategies to mitigate the impact of these dynamics on the attorney-client relationship.
- An increased ability to manage challenging client interactions may minimize the need for Marsden and McKenzie motions
- Attorney’s ability to understanding and mitigate vicarious trauma is critical to their own well-being and professional efficacy.