Law Library Continuing Legal Education: Shielding the Carer - Understand and Managing Secondary Trauma in the Legal Profession Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers

Please register via the provided link or contact the Law Library at least 24 hours ahead of the program. If you contact the Law Library via phone or email within the 24 hour time period, we cannot guarantee that you will receive a response to be able to attend. You can also use the registration link to attend the program. 

Session info

Date: April 9, noon-1 p.m. via Zoom (Note: This will be both a live presentation and an on-demand recording [only if the recording is successful])

Title: ​Shielding the Carer: Understand and Managing Secondary Trauma in the Legal Profession Lawyers Concerned for Lawyer

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.

Speaker Bio:

Sarah MacGillis joined LCL as Outreach Director after a 27-year career in litigation. With a deep-seated compassion and genuine interest in people, Sarah is dedicated to ensuring attorneys receive robust targeted support, providing them with swift and easy access to essential tools when they are needed.

Sarah is enthusiastic about spearheading new initiatives at LCL, particularly in the realms of well-being, stress management, resilience and in all other areas where LCL supports legal professionals and their families.

Sarah’s extensive background encompasses both civil and criminal defense litigation. Through these experiences, she navigated the pressures of extensive discovery processes, tight deadlines, trial and motion work, occasionally challenging relationships with opposing counsel, and clients deeply involved in their defense. She empathizes with the demanding nature of legal practice, where attorneys are often called upon to dedicate long hours in furtherance of their clients’ interests. Furthermore, Sarah has advocated for numerous licensed professionals grappling with challenges that impacted their own overall well-being and their professional practice. This advocacy laid the foundation for her current role.

Sarah was recognized as a Super Lawyer every year from 2011-2024. Prior to that, she was recognized by the same publication as a Rising Star from 2000-2008. In addition, she previously acted as a Federal Defender Mentor for the District of Minnesota, and as an Adjunct Professor at both Mitchell Hamline and the University of Minnesota Law Schools. She has sat on multiple professional boards including the Board of Directors for the Minnesota Innocence Project and the Minnesota Board of Criminal Defense.

Beyond her professional commitments, Sarah is an avid runner who finds peace on Minnesota’s trails throughout the year. She has coached numerous women in their running and fitness pursuits over 20+ years of running.

Above all things, her greatest love is her family. She counts the times spent among them as her most cherished whenever and wherever they gather.

Additional details

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

Please register and join this event. Standard credit has been applied for. Event code is pending, and the number is 524903.

[email protected] 

651-266-8391