[blindlaw] blind attorneys

Fri Nov 19 02:56:07 UTC 2010

Hello James,

Clearly you are frustrated, I fully understand that, and for anyone else to 
tell you that you should not be is judging you without knowing about your 
personal experiences.  There is no question that there is tremendous 
discrimination in the legal field, because the law firms understand the 
discrimination laws and are expert at circumventing them.  Regardless, this 
is the world in which we must function and try to succeed, and I think there 
is opportunity in the discrimination we are all encountering.  One 
characteristic that I have noticed with successful people, is that they more 
often than not have created their own opportunities, by building on their 
own talents and limitations.

When I am feeling discouraged, I try to remind myself about the employment 
possibilities which faced black attorneys such as Thurgood Marshal in the 
1940's.  Employment with large firms was not possible for these black 
attorneys regardless of how talented or bright they might have been.  None 
the less, Thurgood Marshal did succeed, mostly by filing civil rights cases 
for blacks and helping to build the NAACP Legal Defense Fund into a 
formidable institution.  My opinion is that most of the success that blacks 
enjoy today is a direct result of the work done by the Legal Defense Fund. 
As blind attorneys, we have that opportunity as well simply by following 
Thurgood Marshal's roadmap, if we would simply pool our talents and just do 
it.

My personal opinion is that discrimination in both education and all areas 
of employment has become much worse for blind people following the passage 
of the ADA.  The good news here, is that if there is to be any improvement 
in our lives it will be as a result of blind lawyers fighting for the civil 
rights of blind people.  We unlike non lawyers, can force our opponents to 
deal with us, because we have the power to drag them into court, and when we 
succeed they will be paying our legal expenses.

Another characteristic of successful people is that they will not take no 
for an answer and they never quit no matter how difficult the road ahead nor 
no matter how many doors are slammed in their faces.  This kind of inner 
strength is very difficult to muster and maintain, particularly when there 
is no support system in place to help us get reenergized.  Unfortunately as 
blind people we do not support one another and as a result we do not have 
such a support system to turn to.  Instead when one of our blind brethren 
admits that he or she is having a problem related to blindness, they will be 
attacked, not supported.  I am not aware of any other minority groups which 
do this.

the attack chorus always sings the same self serving song, and the lyrics 
goes that the person in need of assistance is to blame and has not spent 
enough of their life learning blindness skills, which in my opinion 
translates into the silly notion that the blind person hasn't become sighted 
enough.  The aspect of this which is most amusing to me, if amusement can be 
found at all, is that upon inspection, those leading the attack and singing 
the loudest, have usually accomplished almost nothing other than spending 
their time trying to become sighted using technology. My thinking is that as 
blind people we can either choose to accept the limitations which are 
inherent to blindness and become successful anyway, or we can spend all our 
waking hours trying to become "independent" by developing blindness skills 
in an effort to make us as close to being sighted as is possible using 
technology.

If there are other lawyers on this list who feel similarly to me, please 
contact me off list.  I would like to do something about our situation, by 
learning from the successes of other minorities.  All of us who are blind 
should be clear that the problem we face as lawyers is that there is too 
much legal work to do, not that there is too little work.  We are privileged 
to be lawyers, so let's take on the challenge.  Let's find strength and 
success in friendship, support, and optimistic collective action.  We are 
lawyers, we have power, so lets use it to help one another and all who are 
blind.  Let's talk and see what we can do together.

All the best,
Dennis

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "James Weisberg" <jimi-law at dc.rr.com>
To: "'NFBnet Blind Law Mailing List'" <blindlaw at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Thursday, November 18, 2010 4:15 PM
Subject: Re: [blindlaw] blind attorneys

> How's "Supervising Attorney" for a Berkeley clinic, Pro Bono work in
> Southern Florida before the immigration court at Krome detention center,
> Superior Court in Cali a few months back, also pro bono (all successful
> outcomes unfortunately people do not go to blind attorneys with money if
> they can go to sighted ones!)  That's not my prejudice just my experience.
> I've litigated for over ten years, state, federal, administrative BS
> hearings and have been VERY successful . . . but I live on 1300/month in
> disability.  Open and office on that and on top of that demand a deserved
> retainer!  Not realistic.  How's it sound now?  Like I'm not putting forth
> the effort???
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: blindlaw-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blindlaw-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
> Behalf Of John Ramsey
> Sent: Thursday, November 18, 2010 4:00 PM
> To: 'NFBnet Blind Law Mailing List'
> Subject: Re: [blindlaw] blind attorneys
>
> I guess many of us on the list are exceptions and I certainly do not come
> from money. Are you saying that you are a top tier Berkeley Grad?  If so,
> maybe you aren't putting forth the effort to practice law.
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: blindlaw-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blindlaw-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
> Behalf Of James Weisberg
> Sent: Thursday, November 18, 2010 6:55 PM
> To: 'NFBnet Blind Law Mailing List'
> Subject: Re: [blindlaw] blind attorneys
>
> Based upon my experience, Berkeley grad, top tier law grad, ZERO job 
> offers
> despite NEVER not getting an interview, combined with the extremely low
> numbers of blind attorneys I can't think of what there might be to 
> discuss.
> My advice to anyone with vision issues considering law as a career is to 
> not
> waste their time or money they have a greater chance statistically,
> probably, of getting hit by lightening on the way to law class than ever
> getting an offer of employment.  Now if you come from money, forget
> everything I have said and just open your own firm!  THAT IS THE WAY IT 
> IS!
> But there are always EXCEPTIONS.  I personally wouldn't want to invest the
> time and money law school requires on the hopes I'll be an exception.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: blindlaw-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blindlaw-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
> Behalf Of Karla Gilbride
> Sent: Thursday, November 18, 2010 12:48 PM
> To: NFBnet Blind Law Mailing List
> Subject: Re: [blindlaw] blind attorneys
>
> James,
>
> I don't mean to minimize the barriers, but the prospects for blind 
> attorneys
> are certainly not as bad as you suggest. I can think of at least ten off 
> the
> top of my head, including myself (I've been totally blind since birth), 
> and
> I'm sure I could come up with others given more time. Perhaps we should 
> chat
> further off-list about your specific concerns.
>
> Best,
> Karla Gilbride
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: blindlaw-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blindlaw-bounces at nfbnet.org]
> On Behalf Of James Weisberg
> Sent: Thursday, November 18, 2010 12:16 PM
> To: 'NFBnet Blind Law Mailing List'
> Subject: Re: [blindlaw] blind attorneys
>
> Curious:
>
> 1. Are there any blind, statutorily or otherwise, and EMPLOYED at all????
> I'm referring here to those with vision issue prior to employment.  I 
> would
> suggest the numbers of such individuals should lead all those with vision
> issues to forgo law school entirely.  FACT!
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: blindlaw-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blindlaw-bounces at nfbnet.org]
> On Behalf Of dlmlaw at sbcglobal.net
> Sent: Thursday, November 18, 2010 7:10 AM
> To: NFBnet Blind Law Mailing List
> Subject: [blindlaw] blind attorneys
>
> Are there any attorneys out there who are:
> 1  blind or statutorily blind;
> 2  unemployed or underemployed as defined by substantial gainful activity;
> and
> 3  receiving disability as a result.
>
> If so, I would appreciate hearing from you.  Thanks.
>
> Dan
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