[blindlaw] blind attorneys
Ross Doerr
rumpole at roadrunner.com
Sun Nov 21 15:19:57 UTC 2010
I've read, with increasing interest, the various posts regarding a glind
attorney who contacted this list just to see about what amounts to the
scarcity of jobs for blind lawyers.
The public responses to him have ranged from thinly veiled accusations of
laziness to those who seem to feel that if you can't get out there and do
it on your own, you, in some way, lack courage. All of which were aimed at
those, meaning blind lawyers, who haven't been able to find work.
If you log on to the U.S. Census board and check the jobless rate among
qualified, working age individuals with a disability you will get a feel for
the jobless rate, and this does not include specific statistics on the
blind, much less blind lawyers.
Everyone here has a valid point to make.
I will put my 2 cents worth in as well.
Look at it like this, lets say your SSDI benefit check is about $1,000 and
your SGA is just under $1,600 per month. These are valid benefit ranges as
put forth by the SS ofice this past week here in Maine, which is, in spite
of what the rest of the country may think, still a part of the United
States.
There are times I doubt that premise.
So, you have a total of $2600.00o per month to live on.
Out of that cost, you must pay rent (even with Section 8 assistance, it can
get tight), pay utilities, buy food, save for your bar dues and CLE
requirements (this latter for those of us who are admitted to practice in
states with mandatory bars and CLE), then add in your medical co-pays for
doctor appointments etc. Then there are the transportation costs, for Pete's
sake don't forget that. Your practice will likely be restricted to your
immediate area until you earn enough to be able to pay transportation out of
your area. Be careful with that, because you may be exceeding SGA if you can
afford that kind of transportation.
Now remember that you may be violating state law or bar regulations if you
try to practice on your own without legal malpractice insurance. Now, lets
hope you can use CaseMaker on your local bar asociation web site, because
after all of the foregoing you can't afford a lexis or westlaw subscription
to do your research so that you aren't committing legal malpractice.
Anyone out there have free access to an accessible law library anywhere?
Anyone able to juggle the reporting requirements for either a trial work
deal with the SS or VR or just keep up with the SSDI reporting monthly?
I think you see where the above statement of facts takes you. If you're
going to try it on your own, you may very well be risking a violation of
some law or regulation somewhere. Remember, if you are on SSDI, you MUST
report any income you make during a month. To those of you out there skilled
in SS law, you see my point, there are ways you can violate SS SGA
regulations and not even know it until it is too late.
How many of our fellow sighted lawyers are this restricted?
The above is simply a statement of fact for a lot of lawyers who are blind.
To be sure, things are different depending on what your particular situation
is. There are those who went blind after being in practice for years. There
are those who were able to start volunteering their services for free until
someone decided that they "really can do the work" - a "test run" being a
common practice that most sighted lawyers don't have to put up with.
Then there are those who haven't ever had to pay their own overhead, so
don't really know how expensive it can be on fixed income because they work
for a governmental office or large firm that pays it all for them.
Some of the foregoing may apply to some of you, to none of you or to all of
you. How much of what does or does not apply to you is immaterial.
It is simply an observation that, even with an advanced degree, under good
conditions, it is extremely difficult to try to work on your own. Those of
you who have done your own accounting, secretarial work and research on top
of careful compliance with SSDI reporting regulations know what I mean. Its
rough to do. Not impossible, but still pretty darn rough.
Then, lets view the next level of plans that the government has to try to
fix the depression that we are in.
When it comes to jobs, things are bad out there, anyone disagree with that
observation?
So, the government, according to this mornings news broadcast, wants to cut
budgets and cut the Federal payroll by laying off several thousand federal
employees. The result is, as most of you can see (blindness not
withstanding) is that the congress is carefully planning to increase the
number of unemployed individuals out there, while simultainiously planning
to increase the retirement age to further restrict and generally forestall
overall job availability on a national scale.
This mentality will, without doubt, trickle down to state and local
governments. So we're all in that boat sooner or later.
then they are going to go after social security recipients and cut that area
as well.
I admit that I don't know anything about how to fix the economy, but then
again neither do the economists.
My point is just this - regarding jobs for the blind - it isn't good out
there and its going to stay that way for a while.
If we don't band together and present a united front, we will always be
viewed as being what blindness experts (precious few of whom are actualy
blind) define us as being. A low-incidence disability population that
requires a lot of assistance to get a job.
Is it up to us to solve all of our own problems in the job market? Only to
a point. We can't do it all ourselves, and to assert that we must do it that
way is just kidding ourselves.
Do I have a job? Not any more. I was laid off at the end of september.
That was my first full-time legal job, with benefits in 15 years. My
take-home pay was $31,000.00 a year, and that was to support myself and my
wife. That didn't leave a lot to put away for savings. Up here in Maine, our
tax rates can shame Massachusetts.
Like most everywhere else, Maine has a very significant unemployment rate,
and its actual level depends upon whether you want to believe what the
State or federal government statistics say, or the Democrats, or the
Republicans or the independents.
Take your pick, it really doesn't matter in the final analysis.
So, is it harder for a blind professional to get a job than for a sighted
counterpart?
Of course it is.
Arguing the validity of that fact serves only to keep our ranks split.
Solving the problem is the real issue.
Who has a crystal ball we can use to get the silver-bullet answer?
"The views expressed in this email are only mine"
Ross
----- Original Message -----
From: "Aser Tolentino" <agtolentino at gmail.com>
To: "NFBnet Blind Law Mailing List" <blindlaw at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Saturday, November 20, 2010 7:59 PM
Subject: Re: [blindlaw] blind attorneys
> Hi Dennis,
> I am in Sacramento, UC Davis Class of 2010. The vast majority of my
> experience, like many of my friends, is in criminal prosecution. With
> budgets being what they are now, we've been lucky to find volunteer
> positions.
>
> Best,
> Aser
>
> On Sat, Nov 20, 2010 at 1:24 PM, Dennis Clark
> <dennisgclark at sbcglobal.net>wrote:
>
>> Hello Aser,
>> Congratulations! I assume you are still on cloud nine today. Where in
>> California are you located? I look forward to hearing from you.
>> All the best,
>> Dennis
>>
>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Aser Tolentino"
>> <agtolentino at gmail.com
>> >
>> To: "NFBnet Blind Law Mailing List" <blindlaw at nfbnet.org>
>> Sent: Saturday, November 20, 2010 12:13 PM
>>
>> Subject: Re: [blindlaw] blind attorneys
>>
>>
>> I guess you can count me among the unemployed blind attorneys now, as I
>>> learned last night that I passed the CA bar. Regardless of disability
>>> though
>>> many in my class have found it difficult to find work.
>>>
>>> On Fri, Nov 19, 2010 at 5:56 PM, James Weisberg <jimi-law at dc.rr.com>
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>> My experience is similar Noel. My point: numerically speaking the
>>>> effort
>>>> of the credentials are not worth the "chance" you will be one of the
>>>> "lucky"
>>>> one's to get a job offer. Congrats on making it into the public sector
>>>> as
>>>> I
>>>> believe that is the place for those such as us with vision problems and
>>>> law
>>>> degrees. I am currently in the process of waiting for a job interview
>>>> with
>>>> the Fed myself!
>>>>
>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>> From: blindlaw-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blindlaw-bounces at nfbnet.org]
>>>> On
>>>> Behalf Of Nightingale, Noel
>>>> Sent: Friday, November 19, 2010 1:28 PM
>>>> To: NFBnet Blind Law Mailing List
>>>> Subject: Re: [blindlaw] blind attorneys
>>>>
>>>> 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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>>>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/blindlaw_nfbnet.org/mfhurley%40optonli%0Ane.net
>>>> >
>>>>
>>>> >
>>>>
>>>>
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>>>> _______________________________________________
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