What is ‘good’ domestic violence lawyering?: views from specialist legal services in Australia

There is increasing recognition that many lawyers, regardless of their practice area, will represent people who have both used and experienced violence in their intimate relationships. This suggests that being informed about domestic and family violence (DFV) is an important attribute of competent lawyering. Despite repeated reports and research drawing attention to poor practices, many lawyers lack DFV training. There is limited research about what it means to be a ‘good’ DFV lawyer. To explore this, we conducted focus groups with lawyers employed in specialist women’s legal services in Australia. Much work undertaken in these services involves working with clients who have experienced DFV, so these lawyers are well placed to identify features of ‘good’ DFV lawyering. The attributes for competent lawyering with people who have experienced DFV, include being knowledgeable about DFV, being trauma-informed/responsive, being knowledgeable about the law and the relevance of violence, adopting a safety lens and providing a holistic service. Our study identifies a number of areas that require further research including understanding the difference between DFV-informed lawyering and trauma-informed/responsive lawyering, and whether specific competencies are required when representing people who experience DFV or have used DFV. Despite years of research and various inquiries pointing to inadequacies and making recommendations for improvement, this article draws attention to continuing gaps in this area.