Legal Abuse Syndrome Book Reviews, Articles, and Endorsements

Huffer has raised a significant issue for strategies for justice system reform. - Law Librarians (LISP) Newsletter

Karin Huffer's book on Overcoming the Devastation of Legal Abuse Syndrome, published by Fulkort Press, has an ominous subtitle: Warning: Protracted Litigation can be hazardous to your health. This insightful book offers numerous case studies on the invisible cumulative stressors complicating recovery from dealing with the justice system. It can be used as a self-help manual or a textbook for legal and health professionals. The methods outlined for dealing with losses and grief during litigation are sound and meet the standards of managed care. The victimization felt in the court system is well documented and validating to those who have experienced similar devastation of their belief systems. The burdensome duration, economic oppression, misinformation, character assassination and betrayal felt during and after legal proceedings are discussed. As therapists, we try to establish a climate that enable clients to feel empowered by their interactions. The legal system doesn't off the same climate. Karin Huffer is a Las Vegas therapist, specializing in empowering the citizen litigant and assisting her clients in correcting the stress and pain she has identified as Legal Abuse Syndrome. - Roberta Hartman VanderVoort, MS, MFT President Nevada Chapter American Association of Marriage and Family Therapists

Karin makes a very strong case for civil litigants to feel more empowered. - John S. McGroarty District Court Judge Eight Judicial District

People find that they have a legal system that corporate lawyers play well, but doesn't allow people to obtain justice. HOLDING COURT — A Sick and Twisted System. Reynolds Holding, San Francisco Chronicle, May 18, 1997.

The psychological damage done to victims of violent crime is undisputed. But the trauma suffered by white-collar crime victims is largely ignored. The Walking Wounded, Quiet-crime victims assaulted by deceit. Joan Burkhart Whitely, Las Vegas Review-Journal, October 23, 1991. Read Full Article

Huffer discovered that many of the legal system's victims suffer from a variant of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, which she has termed "Legal Abuse Syndrome." The condition derives from the abusive and protracted litigation that many plaintiffs commonly encounter in the courts. Warning: Protracted Litigation Can be Hazardous to Your Health. Tulane.link.

You're familiar with the look of abject frustration which often paints the faces of litigants. You're also familiar with the clenched teeth, the nervous ramblings, and the occasional blasts of profanity. Thanks to Ms. Huffer, we now have a clinical name for these behaviors. They're symptoms of a larger psychological disorder she has named Legal Abuse Syndrome. If Huffer's research is accurate, citizens who have prolonged and unsuccessful experiences with the courts run the risk of developing a post traumatic stress disorder similar to combat fatigue. To put it bluntly, having to do "battle" with a system whose basic operating procedures are cloaked in arcane language and guarded by the spectre of the Unauthorized Practice of Law can be damaging to your psyche! Her book, Overcoming the Devastation of Legal Abuse Syndrome is a detailed examination of this syndrome and its impact on citizen litigants. It should be in the hands of every therapist, social worker, attorney, judge, and politician in the nation. It mostly belongs in the hands of those who are hurting as a result of a judicial system that does not serve the taxpayer.---Amazon.com

Protracted Litigation can be hazardous to your health. Legal Abuse Syndrome is an insightful book that offers numerous case studies on the invisible cumulative stressors from dealing with the justice systems. This book can be used as a self-help manual or a guide for legal and health professionals. The methods outlined for dealing with losses and grief during litigation have been found to be sound and meeting the standards of managed care. The victimization felt by the court system is well documented and validates those who have experienced devastation of their belief systems as a result of court involvement. The book offers an eight-step protocol that is effective is assisting litigants preparing for court, during court, and after the court experience. The condition, legal abuse syndrome, is a variant of post traumatic stress disorder and is covered by most insurances as well as qualifying under the Americans with Disabilities Act for accommodations when needed. It works well with Eye Movement Densitization and Reprocessing EMDR therapy. ---Amazon.com

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