What’s a FAIR Learning Forum?

This year, we renamed our bi-annual event series to "FAIR Learning Forums," incorporating the acronym "Fostering Action through Interconnection and Relationships."

This refreshed title reflects our goal to center people and collaborative learning on our path to a more just and vibrant Oregon. We recognize that whether we're legal professionals, policy advocates, government staff, students, or play any other role in consumer justice work, we have more in common than what sets us apart. When we come together to learn, our personal experiences can expand our impact collectively. 

Our Spring Forum took place on the final day of Well-Being Week in Law and focused on trauma-informed justice and practical well-being practices. Burnout and attrition in legal and advocacy roles harm us individually and hinder our ability to create more equitable systems throughout the state. Learning to address the trauma behind burnout helps us reduce further harm and improve career longevity in this critical work. 

With the guidance of our two speakers, Myrna McCallum and David Rosen, attendees explored strategies for addressing all kinds of trauma to promote reconciliation, not just in courtrooms but also in the relationships we cultivate with clients, communities, and ourselves.

Defining Trauma-Informed Work and Psychological Safety

Myrna McCallum, an attorney, editor, and award-winning host of "The Trauma-Informed Lawyer" podcast, kicked off the day with a presentation on trauma-informed law. In addition to helping attendees define trauma and the many ways it shows up in our work, Myrna shined a light on the ways that our conventional processes for moving people through the justice system can cause more harm than good.

Then, she helped attendees understand the conditions of psychological safety, so we can actively prevent trauma and create working environments that promote healing and justice.

• Belonging and inclusion is made possible by creating spaces of connection where people feel accepted for who they are and their unique attributes. This involves building a culture where people feel safe to be themselves while being in community.
• Learner safety is unlocked when individuals feel safe asking questions (particularly in situations where they may not have expert knowledge), experimenting, and making mistakes without fear of judgment. This promotes a growth mindset and encourages continuous learning and improvement.
• Collaborator safety creates space for individuals to offer their distinct skills and perspectives, giving them the opportunity to make meaningful contributions in the face of systemic power imbalances. It fosters a sense of agency, as individuals feel safe to have accountability in their own decisions and experiences.
• Challenger safety is possible when those who hold more systemic privilege exercise their ethical responsibility to make room for disagreement or pushback on status quo practices. It promotes open-mindedness, receptivity to feedback, and a willingness to adapt for the benefit of all.

Why Well-Being and Self-Care are Crucial to Justice

In our afternoon session with attorney David Rosen, we dealt with misperceptions about well-being practices in the context of professionalism. David pointed out that well-being is often seen as something separate from work, something we squeeze in around deadlines and obligations. He asked us to consider, "What if it's not separate at all? What if how we care for ourselves is directly tied to how we serve others—clients, colleagues, and communities alike?"

David led attendees in a handful of practical exercises, offering options to build and strengthen well-being practices in our daily lives. These tools can be used at home, in the office, or anytime we need to reconnect and act from clarity instead of reactivity.

Example Activity – Meditation

1. Connect to your breath one half a breath at a time (“This inhale. This exhale.”)

2. As you watch the breath, allow the body to feel into this moment.

3. When the mind wanders, bring it back to the breath one half a breath at a time. Remember – this is practice, not perfection. If you are noticing the mind wanders too much, you are doing it right!

Other exercises involve developing awareness of our posture, grounding through connection with the earth, and clearing  energy after difficult encounters.

OCJ is so grateful to our speakers and attendees who made this such an impactful event, especially those community members whose feedback directly informed the topics discussed in this forum.

"As lawyers, we all need to pay attention to our well-being, something that we often neglect."

"Trauma-informed law added a new lens to how I view cross-testimony responses and my interactions with the employees I manage."