Cultural Competency: Why It Matters to Lawyers скачать в хорошем качестве

Cultural Competency: Why It Matters to Lawyers

Cultural Competence is all the aspects that makes a person who they are – it’s more than race or ethnicity. “It’s very broad,” says Judge Carl Ashley of Milwaukee County Circuit Court, and panelist on the topic of “cultural competency” at the State Bar of Wisconsin’s 2017 Annual Meeting and Conference this past summer. “It’s what that person’s made of, what they’re about.” It includes their experience, and it is different for every person. It is an important concept to understand when communicating with your clients as a lawyer. Assumptions – about why a person wears their hair the way they are, about how they are dressed, and more – place barriers to communication. “If we make assumptions as lawyers, it can ruin that relationship with a client,” says Starlyn Tourtillott, attorney for the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin and a panelist. “It can fracture the trust that’s needed to do a good job for our clients.” Why is this important? “You take the value of a person by acknowledging who they are,” Ashley said. Don’t hesitate to ask questions – but actively listen to the answers, Tourtillott said. Listen and find out what that person’s about. “You’ll better understand the needs of your clients,” Ashley said. “It’s better for the whole system if you take time to get to know your clients,” Ashley said.