How alienated parents’ trauma influences your role as counsel of record and litigation strategies for child custody cases
Natalie P. Williamson and Cory M. Sprunger.
Natalie P. Williamson.
One of the most difficult experiences as legal counsel for alienated parents is building trust. Trauma inflicted on your client by the alienating parent disarms your client’s ability to strategize rationally, and trust holistically. While courts recognize parental alienation and the harm it causes to the family unit, the emotional turmoil parents experience is largely overlooked.
Cory M. Sprunger.
As legal counsel, you often must take your traditional, attorney hat off and approach your client from a counselor’s perspective. Decisions surrounding litigation, resolution, and conflict management are exponentially more difficult when enveloped by the years-long shroud of trauma inflicted upon your client. This presentation will offer insights into managing clients’ expectations and navigating litigation decisions while acknowledging and supporting the reality of the emotional distress through which your clients are living.