Secondary trauma and pro bono

Published on 16 January 2023 by Claire Butler and Nina Garnham A short overview of ways that pro bono volunteers can protect their own mental health when working with traumatised and vulnerable clients.

Pro bono work may involve supporting vulnerable or at-risk clients, which can impact volunteers’ own mental health. Claire Butler and Nina Garnham discuss the risks and how to protect your wellbeing.

Claire is the Pro Bono Manager at Simmons + Simmons. As a senior Pro Bono lawyer she sits within the Responsible Business team and leads the firm’s international pro bono practice spanning over 20 offices within Europe, Asia and the Middle East. Claire works with the firm’s International Pro Bono Committee to set our global pro bono strategy. She scopes and delivers high-impact pro bono projects delivering quality legal assistance to not-for-profit entities worldwide. Externally she is a member of the European Pro Bono Initiative and Association of Pro Bono Counsel.
Nina Garnham is a Senior Pro Bono Lawyer for Europe, Middle East & Asia at Shearman & Sterling LLP