Self-Care for Attorneys: Vicarious and Secondary Trauma, and Compassion Fatigue

Professor Downes is a professor at UNT Dallas College of Law in Dallas, Texas where she is Assistant Director of Experiential Education. Professor Downes teaches clinical courses, the 40-hour mediation course, human trafficking and the law, as well as domestic violence and the law: an innovative approach to interpersonal violence. Her scholarship focuses on mediation, Alternative Dispute Resolution, vicarious trauma, trauma informed practices, and issues of interpersonal violence including domestic violence, human trafficking, and child abuse. Professor Downes is a subject matter expert on interpersonal violence. She is a former felony prosecutor for the Dallas County District Attorney’s office Family Violence Unit. Prof. Professor Downes also served as Senior Attorney in the Child Abuse Department for the National District Attorneys Association. She is an active member of numerous boards and organizations. In 2025, Professor Downes was honored as one of the top 50 Black professionals in Texas. She received her law degree from Texas A&M School of Law formerly Texas Wesleyan University School of Law. Professor Downes was recently appointed by the Texas Governor to serve on the Texas Medical Board as a disciplinary specialist. She is a JAMS, formerly Judicial Arbitration and Mediation Services, neutral on the Dallas panel.  

Professor Lozada’s teaching and pioneering work in well-being in legal education have been recognized by national and state organizations. She was awarded the 2025 AALS Section Award for Balance and Well-Being in Legal Education, the 2022 Florida Bar Law Faculty Professionalism Award, the 2022 Legal Writing Institute’s Influential Teaching Award, and the 2021 FIU Torch Award. Professor Lozada co-developed Well-Being at FIU Law—an initiative that earned the 2021 Gambrell Professionalism Award administered by the ABA Standing Committee on Professionalism. Engaged in well-being and leadership initiatives nationally and locally, she serves on the Mental Health and Wellness Committee of the Florida Bar. Professor Lozada previously chaired the AALS Section on Balance and Well-Being in Legal Education, and she has developed CLE workshops on mindfulness and well-being for lawyers.