A Law Society online summit on 5 May is aimed at lawyers and all professionals working with clients who have suffered trauma.

The goal is to empower professionals to develop key skills in this sensitive area, promoting awareness of the symptoms of trauma, and equipping participants to work effectively with vulnerable clients.

Key skills to manage any impact and resonances of this work on practitioners themselves will also be outlined. 

The overall objective of the summit is to foster trauma-informed practitioners.

Summit agenda

Experts in the field will present on the topic, followed by small group sessions (with various themes), as well as a panel discussion.

Breakout sessions will be facilitated by Law School Psychological Services’ counsellors, and a panel discussion and Q&A session will be chaired by Law School course manager Aisling Byrne.

Speakers will include:

• Michelle Ní Longáin (President of the Law Society),
• Dr Geoffrey Shannon SC (deputy director of education, Law Society),
• Senator Lynn Ruane (independent senator of the Oireachtas),
• Antoinette Moriarty (Law School Psychological Services manager and Law School course manager),
• Professor Gordon Harold (Psychology of Education and Mental Health, University of Cambridge, and Visiting Full Professor, School of Medicine, University College Dublin),
• Melissa Rutherford (director, Rutherford Sheridan Solicitors, Glasgow),
• Siobhan Greene (director of children's services, Barnardos),
• Nandipha Jola (poet, playwright, curator, creative writing facilitator, TEDx speaker and writer), and
• Aisling Byrne (solicitor and course executive, Law Society).

Any questions can be addressed to lspt@lawsociety.ie or call 01 881 5727. Those interested can now book a place.