VIMHS
Vancouver Island Mental Health Society
The Trauma Informed Lawyer
The Trauma Informed Lawyer
The Trauma Informed Lawyer
Saturday 20th January 2024
Join Myrna McCallum as she advocates for empathy and compassion in law, emphasizing restorative justice's potential to heal and hold accountable.
57 minutes
Inspiring
Empowering
Informative
Hopeful
Compassionate
About this podcast
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VIMHS
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Categories:
Sobriety Toolkit
Sexual Empowerment & Identity
Community & Support Networks
Policy & Advocacy
Body & Mind
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Episodes:
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Get the buttons here!Myrna McCallum: Bringing Humanity to the Legal Profession
Episode Overview
- Myrna advocates for empathy, compassion, and self-regulation to avoid further harm to clients and deliver better client service.
- She emphasizes the necessity of taking a wider view of an individual's background within legal proceedings.
- Myrna narrates the transformative experience of resolving a sexual assault case through restorative justice, highlighting the profound impact of such processes on healing and accountability.
- She addresses the limitations of the traditional criminal justice system and the potential of restorative justice to facilitate repair and reparation for both the offender and the victim.
- Myrna underscores the significance of emotional intelligence and the human element in courtrooms, advocating for a more balanced and compassionate approach within legal practice.
The more lawyers and judges that become educated and informed about trauma, about mental health issues, about addictions, the better it will be for all involved. Once you know better, how could you not do better?
Ever thought about how the legal system handles trauma? Myrna McCallum, a lawyer from North Vancouver and host of 'The Trauma-Informed Lawyer' podcast, is on a mission to change the way legal professionals approach their work. In this episode of People First Radio, Myrna shares her eye-opening journey from focusing solely on legal issues to embracing a more human-centered approach in her practice.
She candidly discusses how traditional legal education often overlooks the impact of trauma, leaving lawyers ill-equipped to handle clients' emotional and psychological needs. Myrna emphasizes the importance of empathy, compassion, and self-regulation to prevent further harm to those they serve. She delves into the intersections of trauma, mental health, addiction, and homelessness within the criminal justice system, urging for a broader perspective on an individual's background.
One of the most compelling parts of her story is how she resolved a sexual assault case through restorative justice, highlighting the healing and accountability it can bring to both victims and offenders. Myrna also critiques the limitations of the traditional criminal justice system and champions the potential of restorative justice to offer repair and reparation. She underscores the need for emotional intelligence and the human touch in courtrooms, advocating for a more balanced and compassionate approach.
Through her podcast, Myrna aims to inspire healing not just within legal systems but also in personal lives and relationships, making her message resonate far beyond the legal field.