On March 15th, 2024, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Legal Services of the Hudson Valley’s three Senior OVS Paralegals. Each has worked with LSHV for more than three years and was recently promoted to Senior Bilingual Paralegals. They work exclusively with clients who are victims of crimes and are involved in either family court or immigration systems. Their jobs span from doing initial intakes to translating/interpreting client’s stories to supporting the attorneys in preparing cases for hearings and trials. They shared their pride in their work, how they manage the many demands of their daily workflow and the ways that they take care of themselves in the face of the pain they see and hear daily. They each take great pride in their work but also recognize that it can be deeply painful to work with clients who have experienced deep and traumatic pain and have turned to LSHV for legal assistance in navigating the legal systems. I learned how they each manage to “turn off” the pain that they hear daily, and in one case that literally means taking off a “work” cap and putting on a “me” hat! Here is an excerpt from our conversation:
What are the challenges and rewards of working with clients who have experienced deep trauma in their lives?
Luciana: The most rewarding (part) is to be able to help. Especially the women who (are going) through a very hard time. (Our clients are) victims of domestic violence, I always make sure that I have a rapport with them so I can make them comfortable. The rewarding (part) for me, at the end of the intake, is that they say ‘thank you for listening to me. I just needed to talk to somebody.” I make them feel comfortable. That part makes me feel good.
Ambar: Most of our clients are Spanish speaking and they find a lot of relief in finding a person who they can express, without having to think, ‘How do I say this in English or how do I explain this?’. They can just let it out and they find that person in us. The fact that we can hear without judgment and also see the growth in our clients. (We) see how much (our) clients have grown through this process.
What is your advice for people who want to do this work?
Ambar: You must be in love with the work you do. And you have to take care of yourself, or you won’t be able to take care of your clients or your family. I love running. Sometimes I dance with my daughter. Also cooking, I Love cooking! (In my prior job as a bilingual advocate) we would do “Changing a hat”. When (we) get to our car, take off your paralegal hat and put on your “me” hat. An actual hat!
Luciana: When I started here, I did not have experience (working) with victims of crime. I have started learning how to turn off the switch from work to home. I come here and put my heart here. Sometimes I still cry when I hear about (the client’s stories).
Ambar: Be kind and patient with yourself. You never know what’s going to come through the door.