Disclaimer: This profile deals with the topic of sexual violence. Please take care when reading.
Like many law students, Allison was eager to get any job after graduating law school. She spent endless hours cold calling and interviewing to find anything that would fit. Allison did find an articling job that fit, at Budden & Associates in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, but she could not have foreseen what a perfect fit it would be. Seven years later, she continues to work at the firm, where she has gained extensive experience and training representing survivors of sexual abuse.
Allison came out of law school with little to no experience in the area of law she practices today. Her work is broad and includes civil law and constitutional law, however, her passion is helping survivors of sexual abuse with their legal cases. When she was at Dalhousie Law School, courses such as The Law of Sexual Offences were not yet offered, and she was not aware that lawyers could build a practice in this area.
Although her undergraduate degree in ethics at uOttawa assisted with some aspects of her practice, when Allison started representing survivors of sexual abuse and hearing their stories on a daily basis, she sensed a change in her wellness. Three months into her articling, Allison started having headaches and extreme fatigue. As most young lawyers do, she shrugged it off as a typical result of articling. Allison’s work varied, and during a week where she dealt only with personal injury cases, she noticed that her fatigue and headaches disappeared. She felt great.
The stress and expectations of working as a lawyer alone can be challenging on mental health. Taking on the trauma of her clients, added an additional toll to Allison’s wellbeing.
Helping clients who have survived serious traumas was much harder on Allison than she had anticipated. Unlike with clients on other files, she is typically involved in survivors' cases for 5-7 years. In some of her cases, survivors have not disclosed their abuse to anyone before coming to her. Hearing clients speak about the abuse they suffered for the first time and responding to their stories respectfully requires a special set of skills and training that not all lawyers receive.
After coming to the realization that she would need to develop these special skills to properly care for her clients and herself, Allison took part in trauma-informed lawyering training. This training taught her how to improve her relationship with clients and how to best support them. Allison recommends lawyers going into this area to not only seek out training but to also prepare on a personal level. When working with initiatives like The Journey Project and the Sexual Assault Crisis Center, it is hard for anyone to create space between their personal life and work. These organizations offer legal support to survivors of sexual violence in Newfoundland and Labrador and opportunities to become trauma-informed. The only way Allison can successfully practice in this area of law is by ensuring she is practicing self-care so that she can continue to assist her clients. She recommends that lawyers facing sensitive subject matter have self-awareness and always check-in with themselves.
Being self-aware has allowed Allisson to stop herself from burning out which helps her address her cases effectively.
On top of her practice and volunteer work, Allison decided in September 2021 to pursue a master’s degree in constitutional law at Osgoode Hall. The silver lining to virtual education is that Allison can attend Osgoode Hall from St. John’s NL.
Between her practice and school, Allison is conscious of making time for herself. She loves travelling and playing board games with her husband in their free time. A lover of books, Allison has made a conscious effort to make time to read for pleasure in the years since law school and articles. She has even created a bookstagram where she reviews books and engages with other like-minded readers. Having made the time and reflected, Allison recognizes how much of an improvement it has had on her mental health.
During her first years at Budden & Associates, Allison’s mindset shifted from “I need any job” to realizing her value to the firm. Young lawyers often feel uncomfortable asking their firm to accommodate them because they are just so appreciative of having a job in the first place. Although it is hard for new lawyers to advocate for themselves, Allison believes that firms should have an interest in setting their lawyers up best they can. Allison feels lucky to work in a supportive environment where it is recognized that support helps the lawyers and in turn the firm succeed.
When employers and seniors build confidence in junior lawyers, those junior lawyers practice more successfully. Because Allison’s firm is smaller, the lawyers get to take on files they may not have had the opportunity to take on at a larger firm. When she comes to her boss Geoff Budden with an idea, he is not only supportive of Allison taking it on but also encourages the firm to be creative. Because of this, Allison has never questioned whether she could succeed in new and challenging things, because no one has ever told her she can’t.
Allison is aware of how fortunate she is. She feels she can voice opinion without fear of retribution, which is not the case for everyone. Her confidence came with time but also from her environment.
She recommends young lawyers focus on finding a practice where they are comfortable expressing themselves and being authentic.
If you find yourself in an environment where these values are not promoted, you might want to reflect and seek opportunities that provide the support and encouragement you need to flourish.