Webinar – Trauma Informed Legal Advocacy

Many survivors of sexual harassment and other forms of discrimination are dealing with trauma and the different ways it manifests, often making the search for help that much more challenging. As part of the Legal Network for Gender Equity, we want our attorneys to have resources and tools to better help their client through a difficult and often invasive process. The first webinar, Trauma 101, introduced the concept of trauma and the survivor perspective; the second, Trauma-Informed Legal Advocacy addressed more practical information for attorneys on taking a trauma-informed and a survivor-focused approach to interviewing, working with, and providing services to individuals with trauma.

The Trauma Informed Legal Advocacy webinar featured presentations from a panel of experts and practitioners in the field:

• Fara Gold, Senior Sex Crimes Counsel, Civil Rights Division, Criminal Section, U.S. Department of Justice
• Melissa S. Milam, Victim Witness Coordinator, Civil Rights Division, Criminal Section, U.S. Department of Justice
• Leslye E. Orloff, Adjunct Professor, Director of the National Immigrant Women’s Advocacy Project, American University Washington College of Law
• Adriana Rodriguez, Attorney, Texas RioGrande Legal Aid, Inc., Legal Aid for Survivors of Sexual Assault – Team Manager

The panel was moderated by Jennifer Mondino, Senior Counsel with the TIME’S UP Legal Defense Fund and Legal Network for Gender Equity at the National Women’s Law Center.