Fair, impartial, and accessible courts are fundamental to a healthy democracy.

Vicarious Trauma Training

“Vicarious Trauma and Judges: Impact and Solutions” explores the trauma judges can experience as a result of the cases they hear.

In some cases, judges must preside over shocking testimony, rule on troubling evidence, and maintain order when disturbing facts are presented.

While these cases can be devastating for the parties involved, the impact can reverberate to judges, too.

Through this two-hour, in-person training, Commission on Professionalism staff and subject-matter experts provide strategies to minimize the impact of trauma on judges on and off the bench.

The Commission has presented the training to judges in Cook and DuPage counties, and hopes to bring it to courthouses across Illinois.

Courthouse Professionalism Training

For many Americans, the staff at their local courthouse is the first – and perhaps only – interaction they have with the U.S. justice system. But how often do members of the courthouse team stop and consider how their behavior impacts the public’s opinion of the judicial branch?

To answer this, we developed a unique program called “A Walk in Their Shoes: Courthouse Professionalism Training.” The program asks courthouse personnel to travel the local justice system from their patrons’ point of view.

The Commission works closely with courthouse leadership to customize a cross-disciplinary seminar that addresses the professionalism challenges identified as most important by the courthouse working community.

As a result, courthouse personnel better understand the connection between professionalism and the delivery of justice and learn to apply strategies to improve patrons’ experience with the justice system.

Attorneys who attend the half-day training are eligible for 2.0 hours of professional responsibility CLE credit in Illinois.

EdCon

We partner with the Illinois Supreme Court, the Illinois Judicial College, the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts, and other Court organizations to develop and deliver continuing judicial education for Illinois judges and justice partners.

Continuing judicial education programs explore the legal, sociological, cultural, and technical issues that impact decision making, aid the effective administration of justice, and promote public integrity, trust, and confidence in the courts.

We provide professionalism programming at the biennial Judicial Education Conference (EdCon). Our interactive educational seminars are customized to address timely professionalism challenges faced by circuit, associate, appellate, and supreme court judges and justices.

New Judge Seminar

The Illinois Supreme Court requires that judges transitioning to the bench attend a New Judge Seminar.

The five-day educational program provides new judges with the opportunity to critically consider substantive and procedural matters, courtroom management, procedural fairness, access to justice, ethics, judicial conduct and professionalism, and decision making in a collaborative learning environment.

We lead programming for the professionalism component of the Circuit Court of Cook County New Judges Training. We focus on educating new judges on how their behavior on the bench impacts the integrity of the judicial branch and providing them with tools to create civil, efficient, and effective courtrooms. We have presented on topics including incivility, bullying, and harassment.