Trauma-Informed Lawyering in the Context of Civil Claims for Sexual Violence

Over the last decade there has been an increase in civil compensation claims for sexual violence in the UK. Given ‘trauma-informed’ approaches have been called for in relation to legal responses to sexual violence, we put forward seven key principles of trauma-informed lawyering in this context and draw on interviews with UK-based civil lawyers who represent sexual violence survivors to explore the extent to which trauma-informed work is taking place. While we find that our sample of lawyers typically have a very good knowledge of sexual violence and the trauma it can cause, there is less certainty about how to accommodate the impacts into practice. Moreover, there is a tendency to prioritise individual healing and medicalise a form of social injustice. We conclude by emphasising the need for legal training and education on a trauma-informed approach which accounts for the social and political dimensions of sexual violence and trauma.