Racial Trauma in Civil Rights Representation

Narratives of trauma told by clients and communities color have inspired an increasing number civil rights antiracist lawyers academics to call for more trauma-informed training law students lawyers. These advocates argued not only greater trauma-sensitive practices trauma-centered interventions on behalf adversely impacted individuals groups but also awareness the risks secondary or vicarious who represent traumatized communities. In this Article, we join chorus attorneys academics. Harnessing recent case P.P. v. Compton Unified School District, illustrate how lawyering can both advance provide healing affected individuals. so doing, focus our analysis use racial evidence in school litigation specifically contemporary representation generally. Building prior work race, cultural trauma, lawyering, investigate meaning individual, group, community their legal teams while detailing importance establishing a practice today’s This litigation-based investigation shows that sociolegal is bound up struggle accommodate violence-centered advocacy within traditional processes ethics frameworks. Often overlooked, ethical professional affects form substance lawyer decisionmaking discretion cases.