In everyday practice solicitors will encounter vulnerable clients in their offices as well as witnesses in court settings. This is so in civil, family, criminal and probate matters. To enable solicitors to effectively interact and obtain the evidence, information or instructions required from a vulnerable client or witness, the Law Society of Northern Ireland has designed a bespoke Vulnerable Person Practitioner Course and will be rolled out over several sessions to train and educate participants on engagement with vulnerable persons.
The course was opened on the 10 December 2024, by the Lady Chief Justice and addressed by Sir John Gillen. It involves the Department of Justice and a range of bodies representing the vulnerable in our society, including Registered Intermediaries, Autism, mental health associations etc. and was created and directed by Fiona Donnelly a solicitor and Senior Lecturer at the IPLS, Queens University Belfast. Fiona has been appointed as a Facilitator for Vulnerable Witness Advocacy Training by the Law Society of England & Wales and has provided vulnerable witness training for the Law Society of Ireland, the Law Society of Tasmania and for various public bodies including Civil Service Commission for Northern Ireland, DPP and Offices of the Public Services Ombudsman throughout Ireland.
The course includes presentations, workshops, advocacy and communication skills and benefits from the input of experts and specialists who can train solicitors in working with children, people on the autistic spectrum, those coping with mental health issues, learning difficulties or other disabilities and vulnerabilities which affect communication. Successful completion of the course will result in certification of the solicitor as a vulnerable person practitioner. The benefits of acquiring such a qualification/certification include enhancement of services a solicitor can provide, promoting and facilitating access to justice and more effective and efficient case-handling, and it is hoped that the course can be repeated.
