Vicarious trauma: Strategies for legal practice and law schools

Abstract

We examine the effect of vicarious trauma on various stakeholders in the legal profession. Criminal lawyers are likely to experience higher levels of vicarious trauma than other lawyers. Additionally, lawyers are at a heightened risk of vicarious trauma compared to other helping professionals such as mental health workers. We identify a range of strategies that can be implemented at an organisational or individual level to address vicarious trauma. Future research should evaluate the effectiveness of vicarious trauma strategies and initiatives. Importantly, we argue that vicarious trauma initiatives should begin in first-year law courses and continue over a career.