The practice of cultural humility falls under many themes and topics. For our purposes here, we've connected this practice as an extension of trauma-informed lawyering, a concept that our team believes in whole-heartedly. Check out this short blog on how we've assumed this connection.

Target Audience

This resource is targeted towards legal service providers but can be useful for anyone seeking to include cultural humility as a practice in their own work.

Prior to Viewing

This toolkit is a 3-part series with each video focusing on one of the three main principles, or commitments, of practicing cultural humility. It is mean to be viewed alongside, or after reviewing, our advisory on cultural humility. Additionally, more information on cultural humility can be found in our curated airtable collection on Trauma-Informed Lawyering. 

Practicing Cultural Humility - Part 1

Let's take a look at the first principle of practicing cultural humility: To commit oneself to an ongoing process of self-awareness and inquiry, supported by a community of trusted, and cognitively-diverse colleagues.

Practicing Cultural Humility - Part 2

We dive into the second principle of practicing cultural humility: To be open and teachable, striving to see cultures as our clients see them, rather than as we have come to know or define them.

Practicing Cultural Humility - Part 3

Lastly, we round things out with the third principle of practicing cultural humility: To continually consider the social systems that have helped shape reality as both we and our clients experience it.

Questions?

Use our request form for any questions or concerns around practicing cultural humility in legal settings!

Republication Information

All materials provided by CAST, including advisories and other resources, are protected by copyright and cannot be republished without express permission from CAST. Our materials are made freely accessible thanks to OVC and OVW grants, and we are committed to ensuring they remain accessible to all. We strictly prohibit placing any of our materials behind a paywall. For detailed guidelines on republication, please review our official guidelines.

Within a trauma-informed response, there are six guiding principles, rather than a prescribed set of practices or procedures, that are applicable across multidisciplinary settings.

Many aspects of trauma-informed lawyering, in which the practice of cultural humility falls under, is often generalized as “good lawyering.” Recognizing and responding to the client’s feelings of anxiety, clarifying legal processes the client will be dealing with, and advocating for appropriate rights and protections are all examples of good lawyering but can also be great examples of being trauma-informed.