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ARTICLE · 09 SEPTEMBER 2026

Working With A Personal Injury Lawyer After Trauma: What To Expect

Howie, Sacks & Henry LLP
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How can lawyers better support clients who have experienced trauma? This article explores trauma-informed legal practice, examining how traditional litigation processes can inadvertently re-traumatize vulnerable clients and what steps legal professionals can take to create safer, more effective advocacy in personal injury, institutional abuse, and medical malpractice cases.

CanadaLitigation, Mediation & Arbitration
Mashhal Junaid
Mashhal Junaid
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Many clients enter the legal system only after experiencing some of the most difficult moments of their lives. By the time they first contact a lawyer, they may already be dealing with the emotional, psychological, and practical effects of a traumatic event, whether arising from a serious accident, institutional abuse, medical negligence, or the sudden loss of a loved one. As a result, lawyers increasingly recognize that effective advocacy requires more than simply technical legal skills. It also requires an understanding of how trauma can affect communication, memory, trust, and decision-making.

Trauma-informed legal practice is about structuring the legal process in a way that minimizes unnecessary harm while helping clients participate meaningfully in their case. This approach is becoming especially important in personal injury, institutional abuse, medical malpractice, and class action litigation, where clients may already feel overwhelmed by insurers, medical systems, or the

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