Private Practice

I’m hosting a disability carnival in a few weeks on disability and employment, so this article concerning the challenges facing attorneys with disabilities in landing jobs with big firms is timely. The article seems to be making the point that attorneys with visible disabilities have a much more difficult time getting jobs with firms than attorneys with invisible disabilities, but few attorneys with any type of disability are even applying for jobs with the big firms.

This observation is consistent with my own experiences and those of my colleagues. I can’t think of one attorney with a disability in my professional circle who works for a firm. I’ve never interviewed with a firm. Besides having almost zero interest in the majority of work that firms do (I’d rather be punched repeatedly in the face than do estate planning or complex business litigation), I have had the impression since law school that firms aren’t terribly accommodating to those of us with disabilities. I could be mistaken, but the culture of big firms seems to thrive on an atmosphere of buttoned-down homogeneity that doesn’t cope well with individual differences.

Of course, attorneys with disabilities who are interested in big-firm life should have the same opportunities to access those employment opportunities as anyone else. But I don’t think you’re going to see significant numbers of attorneys with disabilities in large firms until there’s a fundamental shift in hiring practices and work culture. Unfortunately, I think those changes will take a long time in coming.

Thanks to Blue for pointing me to this article.