Rethinking What It Means to Be a Great Lawyer – A Trauma-Informed Approach

By Harriet Igwe

What if being a great lawyer isn’t just about knowing the right argument but also about knowing how to work with people through some of the hardest moments of their lives?

In legal practice, we often focus on strategy, precedent, and persuasion. These are essential elements of providing legal services. But behind every file, every matter, and every courtroom appearance, there is a person carrying a significant emotional weight.

This is where trauma-informed practice is most relevant.

Trauma is not confined to one area of law

Trauma-informed practice is commonly associated with criminal or family law, but it extends far beyond that. Whether someone is dealing with a family breakdown, criminal charge, workplace conflict, immigration issue, civil dispute, or corporate crisis, legal issues rarely exist in isolation from human experience.

Clients do not experience legal problems as abstract legal questions. They experience them as disruptions to their lives, relationships, finances, identity, or sense of stability.

Even in commercial or corporate contexts, high-stakes disputes can involve pressure, reputational risk, and emotional strain. The legal issues may be technical, but the human experience is always present.

Clients are not “just files”

It is easy, especially in high-volume or high-pressure environments, to reduce matters to files, deadlines, and legal tests. But clients do not walk into legal offices as “just files.”

They come with lived experiences that influence how they communicate, how they interpret advice, how they make decisions, and how they engage with the legal process.

Some may find it difficult to trust authority figures. Others may struggle to process complex information under stress. Some may be overwhelmed, withdrawn, or reactive. These responses are often shaped by prior experiences, not by the legal issue alone.

Recognizing this does not change the legal analysis, but it does change how we communicate it.

What trauma-informed practice actually means

Trauma-informed practice is not about lowering professional standards or changing the role of a lawyer. It means being more intentional about how we engage with clients and how we structure our communication.

In practice, this may involve:

• Communicating clearly and without unnecessary complexity

• Allowing clients to process information and ask questions

• Being mindful of tone, timing, and delivery of difficult information

• Building trust through consistency and respect

• Recognizing that silence, hesitation, or emotion may have context

It is a shift in approach, not a dilution of expertise.

The legal analysis remains rigorous. The advocacy remains strong. The difference is in how the client experiences the process.

The role of trust in legal practice

At the heart of effective legal work is trust.

A client who feels unheard or dismissed is less likely to engage fully, to disclose all relevant facts, or to follow advice. A client who feels respected and informed is more likely to participate meaningfully in their own case.

Sometimes, the most impactful thing a lawyer can do is not to speak more, but to create space for understanding—slow down when needed, explain rather than assume, and recognize when a moment requires clarity rather than speed.

These are not just soft skills. They are practical skills that affect outcomes.

The evolution of the legal profession

The legal profession is evolving. Expectations around client care, communication, and professionalism are shifting. This is not a weakness in the system—it is a sign of maturity.

Legal practice is increasingly recognizing that technical competence and human awareness are not opposing forces.

They reinforce each other.

Empathy does not replace professionalism, it strengthens it. Clarity does not reduce authority, it enhances it.

The best legal practice makes room for both.

Closing reflection

Being a good lawyer is not only about being right in law. It is also about being effective in practice. Effectiveness, in many cases, depends on how well we understand the people behind the legal issues we are working on.

About the author:

Harriet is a dual-qualified lawyer admitted to practice in Canada and Nigeria with experience spanning litigation, regulatory law, corporate advisory, and international development. She has supported complex legal and governance matters in private practice, government, and with the World Bank Group, advising on regulatory reform, investment climate initiatives, and development projects across multiple jurisdictions. Harriet holds an LL.B. from the University of Hull and an LL.M. in International Corporate Finance from the University of Reading.