

071. How Trauma Informed Lawyering Helps Avoid Burnout with Dr. Colin James
The impact of trauma in legal practice extends far beyond individual client interactions. From law school through retirement, lawyers face unique psychological challenges that can fundamentally alter their personalities, relationships, and effectiveness as advocates.
Dr. Colin James, author of "Vicarious Trauma and Burnout in Law," brings decades of experience as a senior lecturer of law and researcher to examine how trauma theory applies to legal practice. Through exploring concepts like vicarious trauma, compassion fatigue, and post-traumatic growth, this conversation illuminates practical ways that individual practitioners and organizations can build more trauma-informed approaches.
Get full show notes, transcript, and more information here: https://www.agileattorney.com/71
For Oregon Attorneys, you can claim CLE credit under the "Mental Health & Substance Abuse" requirement. Just go to yourt Oregon Bar MCLE Dashboard, select "Accredited Group Course," enter MCLE ID 122717 in the search field.
For attorneys in other jurisdictions, you may be able to claim CLE credit using the following steps:
- Check your state’s CLE rules to see if they accept credit from Oregon-accredited programs. Many do, especially for courses taken out of state.
- Confirm if your jurisdiction allows on-demand (pre-recorded) courses and whether there are any limits or special requirements.
- Search for the Oregon accreditation info at www.osbar.org using the approved course title (Trauma Informed Lawyering with Dr. Colin James) or the application ID 122717.
- Document the number and type of credits approved by Oregon (e.g., general, ethics) and whether the course is listed as recorded.
- Self-report the credit to your state bar using their required process, and retain documentation in case of audit.
Mentioned in this episode:
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