Whole Client/Whole Advocate

"Whole client" representation implies looking at and responding to people who seek our services as "whole people" rather than simply "poor people" with legal problems, or worse, as "legal issues" divorced from the people presenting those issues. The Whole Client/Whole Advocate training addresses the following issues and skills:

• How poverty affects the day-to-day lives of legal aid clients; 
  
• How people of different cultures perceive things differently and how insight into the notion of "cultural competence" can be used to strengthen our advocacy;
  
• How our own life experiences and backgrounds influence how we as advocates approach our work and interact with clients;
  
• How to work through an interpreter to communicate effectively with non-English or limited English-speaking clients;
  
• Basic communication skills necessary to work effectively with all clients and especially with clients who have particular challenges such as learning disabilities, chemical dependence or mental illness;
  
• Alternative delivery models for serving the "whole client".

This course addresses the following ABA Standards for Providers of Civil Legal Aid: 2.4-Cultural Competence; 2.5-Staff Diversity; 4.6-Communication in the Primary Language of the Persons Served; 7.1-Establishing an Effective Relationship & Clear Understanding with the Client.

For more information, see our article on Representing the Whole Client