[blindLaw] Prospective law student

Thu Dec 3 20:50:37 UTC 2020

Hello,
I echo James’s advice. A solid background from a good program that doesn’t break the bank is the primary benefit you’ll derive from law school, unless the specific agency/firm/government you are targeting happens to draw its recruits primarily from a specific school or group of schools. I think the more important consideration is getting relevant experience in issue-spotting in a similar practice area like civil rights and as much practical experience in administrative law and alternate dispute resolution as possible. I spent all my time in law school working toward criminal prosecution and now I’m in tenant rights of all things.

Regards,
Aser

Sent from my iPhone

> On Dec 3, 2020, at 10:51 AM, James T. Fetter via BlindLaw <blindlaw at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
>  Hi Chelsea,If you're already in Ohio, then go to Ohio State! :) Seriously, if you're open to that, please email me off list, and I can put you in touch with some people.Re: the LSAT book, I think I just scanned it in. I was so used to doing that on my own, because the academic institutions I attended for previous degrees had virtually no support for blind students. I would definitely check Bookshare and LSAC's website to start with. I used Kaplan for bar prep, and they were okay on the accessibility front. Happy to talk more off list about the bar exam, but I wouldn't worry about that yet. Believe me, you'll have plenty of time for that later!James    On Thursday, December 3, 2020, 01:39:27 PM EST, Chelsea Dye via BlindLaw <blindlaw at nfbnet.org> wrote:  
> 
> Hi James and Julie,
> 
> Thanks for the advice.
> 
> I graduated from the University of Akron in 2011 with a communications
> degree. They don't have anything specific to disability law in their
> selection--but they do have constitutional, advocacy, wealth law, etc.
> Like you said, it might be a round-about way, but it could get me what
> I need.
> 
> Was the LSAT book you read through Bookshare? That's where I've
> obtained my materials.
> 
> How did you find taking the Bar exam?
> 
> Chelsea
> 
>> On 12/3/20, James T. Fetter via BlindLaw <blindlaw at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>>   Chelsea,As someone who has done disability rights work, I have a few
>> thoughts. First, one does not typically specialize in law school, nor do I
>> think it does much good to try. The goal of a J.D. is to learn how to think
>> and, to some extent write, like a lawyer. Although I also had strong
>> interests in disability rights and attended Ohio State, which has one of the
>> preeminent legal scholars in disability rights on the faculty, I only took
>> one class specifically in disability rights. When I started practicing, what
>> I learned in my Federal Courts class probably benefited me more than the
>> specialized disability rights knowledge I obtained in Disability
>> Discrimination. I would thus advise picking your law school based more on
>> rank, quality of the faculty, and whether accommodations are likely to be a
>> constant battle or a non-issue. I was very fortunate that I never once had
>> to fight about accommodations while at Ohio State. Unfortunately, that is
>> not the universal experience of blind law students, even in 2020. Having
>> said that, I cannot emphasize strongly enough the importance of having a
>> mentor/champion on the faculty. Given that you want to pursue disability
>> rights work, I would seriously consider looking at law schools, e.g. Ohio
>> State, Michigan, American, with faculty members who are passionate about
>> disability rights. They will be able to give you guidance, connect you with
>> disability rights practitioners, and will help you fight through the
>> discrimination that you will inevitably face while seeking employment.Re:
>> LSAT training, I just worked through a book with multiple practice tests. I
>> think LSAC's accommodations process has improved, but when I dealt with
>> them, it was a Kafkaesque nightmare. I would thus advise being as proactive
>> as possible and not backing down, until you get the accommodations you need.
>> I hope this helps, and best of luck as you embark on your legal career!James
>>     On Thursday, December 3, 2020, 01:06:49 PM EST, Julie McGinnity via
>> BlindLaw <blindlaw at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>> 
>>   Hi Chelsea,
>> 
>> I thought about this as well before going to law school. I am
>> currently just finishing up my first semester, so my advice may not be
>> as good as others, but it should be pretty current.
>> 
>> At first, I considered going to a school that had no disability rights
>> or education programs, which was what I originally wanted to do with
>> my law degree. When I talked to the university about this, they
>> encouraged me to go through their mediation program because it would
>> be helpful to learn dispute mediation skills as a disability rights
>> attorney. Now, in all honesty, I don't know how that would have worked
>> out because I moved across the country and chose a different school
>> with a strong civil rights, disability rights, and advocacy focus. But
>> my point is that there are different ways of getting where you're
>> going. If your school is willing to help you get internships in
>> disability law and will give you skills you will need in your future
>> law career, like strong legal writing and dispute mediation perhaps,
>> then the school may be worth considering.
>> 
>> Ask them the hard questions, and make sure the school has a strong
>> career office that is willing to support your goals.
>> 
>> Feel free to connect with me off list. We blind law students need to
>> stick together!
>> 
>> Julie
>> 
>>> On 12/3/20, Chelsea Dye via BlindLaw <blindlaw at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>>> Hello,
>>> 
>>> I'm interested in obtaining a J.D. from my local university. I'd like
>>> to specialize in disability rights, but it doesn't look like that's
>>> something they have. The closest they come is special education law.
>>> My questions are what do you recommend for LSAT training and where to
>>> go for specializing in disability rights law?
>>> 
>>> Thank you,
>>> Chelsea
>>> 
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>> 
>> 
>> --
>> Julie A. McGinnity
>> MM Vocal Performance, 2015; American University Washington College of
>> Law, JD Candidate 2023
>> 
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> 
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