About
Claiming Space is a social enterprise that has grown from peer support groups to offering innovative training for lawyers working with vulnerable populations, based on experience, academic study and research.
Rachel and Joanna met while on the committee of Young Legal Aid Lawyers. Following many conversations with peers and colleagues about the impact of our clients’ stories on our well-being and those around us, we began working on a project to make space to learn, share and reflect on our practice.
Claiming Space is the product of our years working in legal aid law and speaking to junior lawyers from across the spectrum of social justice legal practice.
Our ultimate goal is to ensure that the most vulnerable in society are helped by lawyers who are well-supported to deal with stress, vicarious trauma and burnout.
We are committed to making legal aid and social justice work sustainable and open to people of all backgrounds, so that our clients get the best representation possible. Claiming Space is a Community Interest Company, which means we do not operate for profit and what we generate goes back into the work and community we work with.
Joanna Fleck is a reflective practice facilitator, trainee psychotherapist, and writer. She spent over 10 years working in legal aid, specialising in actions against the state, inquests and public inquiries. She has an MSc in Psychology with research on secondary traumatic stress in the legal profession. This research and ongoing study informs the work of Claiming Space. She is an experienced freelance trainer and group facilitator as well as a meditation and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy teacher.
Rachel Francis
Rachel Francis is a barrister practising in immigration and family law with particular expertise in working with vulnerable clients. She is the former co-chair of Young Legal Aid Lawyers. During her time as co-chair, Rachel saw first-hand the effects of working with trauma in the legal profession. She was jointly responsible for the strategic direction of the group and for co-ordinating its campaigning, promoting social mobility and protecting the interests of junior lawyers who believe in the importance of legal-aided work as a means of achieving social justice. In July 2019 Rachel was awarded the LAPG Special Award for outstanding commitment to access to justice.