[blindlaw] blind attorneys

[Nightingale, Noel]

James:

I have lost track of your original point.   I hope this response is on target.

I was blind during law school, worked as a summer associate for a nationally-known firm, and received a job offer as a result of my work during that summer.  I was employed by that firm for over five years.  I now practice for the federal government.

I know of others as well who were blind before law school who got jobs at private firms.

I also know that tremendous discrimination occurs but my own experience tells me that it is entirely possible for a blind person to receive offers of employment to practice in the private sector.

Noel Nightingale
  

-----Original Message-----
From: blindlaw-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blindlaw-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of James Weisberg
Sent: Friday, November 19, 2010 8:48 AM
To: 'NFBnet Blind Law Mailing List'
Subject: Re: [blindlaw] blind attorneys

I have to distinguish, I'm getting back to Dave's comments below again now,
between employed blind lawyers who lost sight AFTER they had been employed
and developed a rep before going blind as being competent from those who are
blind and thus never given the opportunity to develop such a rep unless they
can do it on their own as I have.  I just don't count blind lawyers in my
calculation if they lost their sight after they were established because my
point is NOT whether or not a blind person can do the work, I know as I have
been doing it for over ten years now.  My point is the effort for the
credentials compared with the likelihood of a job offer means go for
something else . . . that's all.  So I too would love the numbers on blind
lawyers never offered employment compared against employed blind lawyers who
were blind prior to ever practicing!!  I'm betting close to "astronomical."
*smile*

-----Original Message-----
From: blindlaw-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blindlaw-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of mfhurley at optonline.net
Sent: Friday, November 19, 2010 7:29 AM
To: NFBnet Blind Law Mailing List
Subject: Re: [blindlaw] blind attorneys

Prospects for blind lawyers were not good in a great ecomony.  I agree with
Dennis' post wholeheartedly. 

----- Original Message -----
From: David Andrews 
Date: Friday, November 19, 2010 5:26 am
Subject: Re: [blindlaw] blind attorneys
To: NFBnet Blind Law Mailing List 

> James:
> 
> I would like to suggest that the unemployment rate for blind 
> persons 
> in most all, if not all fields of endeavor is low. While my 
> evidence 
> is anecdotal, I don't think that it is necessarily any worse for 
> blind lawyers. Over the years I have known a bunch of blind 
> lawyers, 
> who are working.
> 
> From what I read, the prospect for all lawyers isn't that good 
> right 
> now, so it is hard to separate the blindness penalty from the 
> bad 
> economy penalty.
> 
> Dave
> 
> At 05:55 PM 11/18/2010, you wrote:
> >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.
> 
> 
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