Lawyers, Lead On by Williford Rebecca S.;Basas Carrie A.;Enyart Stephanie L.;

Author:Williford, Rebecca S.;Basas, Carrie A.;Enyart, Stephanie L.;
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: American Bar Association

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Dear Rising Lawyer with a Disability:

Having a disability and being a lawyer at the same time makes a very interesting job all the more interesting. For me, being a lawyer has been one of most interesting challenges I have ever faced. Five years in, I am still figuring it out, and I have been told by those senior to me that being a good lawyer requires eternally figuring it out. My disability has played into that in some surprising ways—sometimes helpful, sometimes not, and sometimes pricelessly ironic.

Helpful. Whether I like it or not, I am the face of disability for most of my co-workers and even for the broader legal community. As a result, people want to help me succeed. My firm in particular has given me so much support and provided (what I understand to be) a uniquely nurturing environment in which to develop. When I first started at the firm, one of the senior partners actually built a wooden platform to support my office desk so that I could reach the desk surface. (I use my mouth to type, write, and move papers, as I have no use of my arms and legs, so I need my desks to be taller than usual.) In the broader legal community, having a visible disability has opened up several leadership roles on committees and boards. Organizations are looking to diversify, and my wheelchair makes me an obvious choice.

CRISTINA N. RUBKE

Not helpful. Disability, by definition, limits one's abilities. For me, some of those limitations affect my professional life in unhelpful ways. Lawyers are time-focused. At my firm, we bill in six-minute intervals. My disability means that certain things take me longer than my colleagues, like going for a restroom break. It just means that my workday needs to be slightly longer to bill at the same pace as others. Also, I cannot lug those lawyer bags to and from court for trials or big hearings. So the partners or senior associates always end up carrying the heavy load when I'm on a case.

Ironic. Recently, I had a pre-trial settlement conference at the Old Post Office building in downtown Oakland for a disability rights case. When I arrived, the only elevator in the building was out of order. The courtroom was upstairs, so I was unable to attend the settlement conference. Luckily, the partner on the case was there and was able to cover it. I thought it was an ironic reminder of the need for our courts to be accessible to everyone.

Of course, most of the time, my disability plays the role of a minor footnote in my professional life or is disregarded entirely. And that is as it should be. One of the more self-centered reasons I work on projects to diversify our profession is to make my disability in this profession less noteworthy. I appreciate the fact that my disability is part of who I am, but each person, with or without a disability, has something unique about them and has overcome life challenges.

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