Compassionate Counsel: Representing Difficult Clients with Patience and Professionalism

Attorneys often serve clients at their most vulnerable and emotionally challenging moments. Whether it’s navigating probate after a death or representing someone struggling with psychiatric illness, lawyers must communicate with empathy and professionalism while also protecting themselves and others from burnout or abuse. This course is designed to help attorneys effectively serve emotionally distressed clients experiencing mental illness or exhibiting hostile or irrational behavior.. This includes clients navigating trauma, death, or mental health crises common in child protection, conservatorship, estate planning, and family law cases.

This program provides practical strategies for attorneys to remain composed, ethical, and effective in high-stress interactions without compromising legal standards or personal boundaries. Participants will learn: how to maintain professional boundaries with emotionally volatile or mentally ill clients; how to communicate with empathy while managing irrational or aggressive behavior; how to recognize warning signs of mental health concerns and ethical duties surrounding them; and how to set expectations and deadlines with resistant or high-conflict individuals. This course will also teach attorneys how to de-escalate tense situations while staying trauma-informed and provide techniques to validate feelings while setting realistic expectations.

This course is ideal for attorneys in high-emotion practice areas, including child welfare, probate, estate planning, family law, elder law, and criminal defense. Both new and seasoned attorneys will benefit from the practical tools shared.

Learning Objectives:

1. Analyze the psychological and emotional challenges faced by clients in crisis. 
2. Acquire trauma-informed communication skills to navigate high-stress legal situations effectively. 
3. Identify mental health warning signs and how to respond ethically. 
4. Practice de-escalation techniques and boundary-setting with irate clients. 
5. Develop effective systems for setting clear expectations and adhering to deadlines. 
6. Explore attorney wellness strategies when working with emotionally difficult clients.

Course Time Schedule:

Eastern Time: 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Central Time: 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Mountain Time: 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM
Pacific Time: 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM
Alaska Time: 8:00 AM - 9:00 AM
Hawaii-Aleutian Time: 7:00 AM - 8:00 AM

This course is also being presented on the following dates:

Monday, January 26, 2026
Monday, February 9, 2026
Monday, February 23, 2026
Monday, March 16, 2026
Monday, March 23, 2026