Trauma-Informed Lawyering
Foundational Training Sessions
Virtual or In-Person | Half-Day | Also offered as a training series
These sessions are designed to provide a foundational understanding of trauma’s impact on individuals, teams, and legal processes. The sessions are interactive and tailored to team-specific needs, incorporating real-life scenarios, anonymous staff input, and small group discussions. Participants will explore compassionate communication with trauma survivors, strategies for managing secondary traumatic stress, maintaining professional boundaries, and discussing sensitive content with care. The sessions will also discuss best practices for creating survivor-centered policies and procedures, including resource mapping and safety planning.
Advanced Training Sessions
Virtual or In-Person | Half-Day or Full-Day
This advanced training option is designed for professionals working directly with survivors of trauma, offering a focused and practical approach to deepening trauma-informed skills. Participants will engage in hands-on learning to strengthen survivor-centered legal practices and internal organizational protocols. Key topics include developing trauma-informed policies, conducting sensitive and effective survivor interviews, trial and deposition strategies when working with survivors, and improving intake procedures to reduce retraumatization. The session features simulated interviews and deposition role-play exercises, complete with facilitated feedback to refine real-world application. Attendees will also explore how to review case materials with both legal integrity and trauma sensitivity, with targeted content specific to trauma survivor engagement.
Consultation Retainer
Add-On Service | 3 Month Minimum | 5 Hours/Month
The consultation retainer includes up to 5 hours of dedicated support per month, offering consistent, expert guidance on implementing and sustaining trauma-informed practices within your organization. Services include ongoing support for the integration of trauma-informed strategies, facilitation of team debriefings, and assistance with sensitive case troubleshooting. Additionally, we provide strategic planning to develop or refine trauma-informed policies, along with in-depth evaluation of your current protocols and procedures to ensure alignment with best practices in trauma-informed care. This add-on to training services will help ensure that your staff remains supported and your practices are optimized after the trainings conclude.
Custom Staff Questionnaire
Included with Every Training
We offer the development of a tailored, anonymous staff questionnaire designed to assess key organizational dynamics, including current success models, emotional impact of work, burnout levels, and staff support needs. This tool helps identify areas of strength and concern, informing both foundational and advanced training sessions to ensure content is relevant and responsive. Upon completion, findings will be analyzed and compiled into a comprehensive summary report, providing clear insights to guide strategic planning and enhance trauma-informed practices across your team.
Interested in other services? Want to learn more?
Complete our Needs Assessment so that we can tailor our services to your team's needs!
Our Services
The Ford & Ford Group is available to meet your needs, from targeted one-hour trainings to in-depth consultations on specific case needs and strategy.
Expert Guidance
Our consultants bring grounded, real-world experience in implementing trauma-informed practices across legal and nonprofit sectors. We move beyond simple definitions of trauma; instead, we can help your team integrate trauma-informed principles into everyday interactions, from intake and client meetings to establishing healthy boundaries and relationship structures. We also support leadership in recognizing and addressing vicarious and secondary trauma. Our services include strategic support to prevent burnout and compassion fatigue, fostering healthier environments for both staff and clients.
Practice Evaluation
Our evaluations go beyond surface-level recommendations to offer targeted, actionable insights on how your intake processes, supervision methods, and internal culture either support or undermine trauma-sensitive work. We help identify when systemic practices unintentionally promote over-reliance on attorneys or direct service providers—common in high-trauma environments—and offer solutions that preserve professional boundaries while improving service delivery. The result: measurable improvements in client outcomes, staff retention, and organizational efficiency.
Tailored Training
Our trainings are tailored to your needs to transform how your team works. Whether in-person or virtual, we focus on the implementation of trauma-informed principles in the settings where your team needs support, including interviews, court preparation, crisis communication, and advocacy. These sessions are customized to the realities your staff face, with tools to help them navigate trauma exposure. Our flexible retainer options also support ongoing learning, equipping teams of all sizes to maintain trauma-aware, client-centered practices that are also sustainable for staff.