One of many lawyers’ worst fears is that a client, opposing party or even a random stranger may try to physically hurt them, often for nothing more than the attorney doing his or her job. In this episode of the ABA Journal's Asked and Answered, Stephanie Francis Ward speaks with Ty Smith, a retired Navy SEAL who founded Vigilance Risk Solutions, a security consulting business that focuses on workplace violence prevention.
“If you find yourself in the middle of the situation, and you haven’t done anything mentally to prepare yourself for the situation, that’s when people end up with a deer-in-the-headlights look and you freeze,” Smith says. “The most important thing you can do beforehand is actually train, whether it be in-person training or web-based training regarding workplace violence, escalation of workplace violence and de-escalating situations using your brain to talk yourself out of a bad situation.”
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