Attorneys with Disabilities

23 ABA Journal Attorneys with Disabilities articles.

2nd Circuit tosses Harvard Law grad’s Rehabilitation Act claim over bar exam accommodations

The New York State Board of Law Examiners has sovereign immunity from a lawsuit claim by a Harvard Law School graduate who sued over failure to accommodate her anxiety-related disability, a federal appeals court has ruled.

Apr 30, 2021 10:47 AM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: Senator airs suspicions of ‘fake’ Kavanaugh probe; prosecutors sue senior living chain

Senator wants to know whether FBI probe of Kavanaugh was ‘fake’

U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland should help facilitate Senate oversight into whether the FBI conducted a “politically constrained and…

Mar 16, 2021 4:21 PM CDT

Law student using American Sign Language wins 4th Circuit appeal

Mar 4, 2021 10:01 AM CST

Diversity ‘bottleneck’ and minority attrition keep firm leadership ranks white and male, new ABA survey says

More minorities are getting hired as associates, but law firm leadership is mostly white and male because of a diversity “bottleneck” and higher rates of minority attrition, according to an ABA survey report released Tuesday.

Feb 17, 2021 12:51 PM CST

The power of my hearing loss

To many, it may seem ironic that a deaf judge presides over hearings. Although I navigate the world as a South Asian Muslim woman with hearing loss, seeing my disability as my power is what shaped my path to law.

Oct 1, 2020 2:30 AM CDT

State bar takes ‘medieval approach to mental health,’ says Trump-appointed judge

A federal judge has chastised the Kentucky “Bar Bureaucracy” for its treatment of a bar applicant diagnosed with bipolar disorder, even as he tossed her lawsuit alleging violations of disability law and the equal protection clause.

Sep 1, 2020 2:36 PM CDT

Fired legal assistant at Kirkland & Ellis claims firm restructuring was motivated by age bias

A former legal assistant at Kirkland & Ellis alleges that the law firm discriminated based on age when it fired a group of older litigation support workers and made them reapply for new positions in a “sham process.”

Aug 17, 2020 11:04 AM CDT

Former Reed Smith lawyer sues law firm for alleged discrimination after receiving concussion

A lawsuit has accused Reed Smith of wrongly firing a lawyer after a “discriminatory chain of perceptions and events” stemming from a concussion that the lawyer received while on vacation.

Aug 6, 2020 3:27 PM CDT

LGBTQ+ lawyers and attorneys with disabilities report prevalent discrimination, ABA study says

Nearly 40% of lawyers who identify as having disabilities and/or as LGBTQ+ report experiencing discrimination, harassment and bias in the workplace, according to a new national study by the ABA and Burton Blatt Institute at Syracuse University.

Jul 15, 2020 3:20 PM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: Prosecutor says Trump ally got break; lawyers’ extortion plea

Prosecutor to testify that Trump ally was treated better

A prosecutor who resigned in the Roger Stone case plans to tell Congress on Wednesday that his supervisors told him that…

Jun 23, 2020 4:44 PM CDT

Does disabilities law prohibit mental health bias in bar admissions? Law grad seeks cert

A law grad undergoing mental health treatment is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to consider whether Illinois officials discriminated against him under the Americans with Disabilities Act when they refused to admit him to the bar.

Jun 9, 2020 12:13 PM CDT

From neurodiversity awareness to autism activism, this disability justice advocate fights for the rights of the marginalized

Autistic, Asian, nonbinary. Advocate, activist, organizer. Writer, speaker, educator, lawyer. Lydia X.Z. Brown is all of those things but also this: a force of nature. We asked Brown 10 questions.

Apr 1, 2020 2:50 AM CDT

How ‘Legally Blonde’ influenced a generation of women lawyers

What was once seen as another rom-com about a sorority girl tackling Harvard Law to get the love of her life back became something much more to female law students and women lawyers. Years later, Elle Woods remains influential for women in the legal field.

Dec 5, 2019 10:24 AM CST

Surmounting hidden disabilities: Challenges need not be barriers

During law school, Emily Cox struggled with countless seizures, numerous medication changes, and having her license to drive rescinded. But she was fortunate to be in a school that cared about her disability with an administration that made sure she had the resources she needed to succeed.

Nov 1, 2019 3:10 AM CDT

The ethics argument for promoting equality in the profession

Recognizing a lawyer’s ethical obligation to promote diversity bridges the gap between the moral case for diversity and the business case for diversity. It invokes shared values and professional responsibility. To establish that, we have the obligation and the agency to pursue liberty and justice for all, within and outside our practices.

Nov 1, 2019 1:40 AM CDT

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