Then-Cornell Law student Angela Winfield thought her interview with a prospective Big Law employer was going well until he asked her whether being blind would interfere with serving clients.
“I was really excited, and I was interviewing with large law firms. And during one of those interviews, an attorney actually said to me, ‘You’re saying all the right things, you have all the right credentials, but I just don’t know how you could do this job with the disability that you have,’” said Winfield, who is now the chief diversity officer for the Law School Admission Council.
“He just said this very clearly and very bluntly, and this was in the 2000s, and I don’t think that we’ve moved much beyond that. But I think things like disability affinity groups could be very helpful.”
Though less than 2% of lawyers identify as disabled—possibly because of lingering stigmas—attorneys with disabilities are looking to force a culture change in Big Law. Disability affinity groups at large law firms offer support and networking opportunities for attorneys with disabilities. Disabilities is taking its place alongside race, orientation, and gender as Big Law improves its diversity and inclusion efforts and booming market has ratcheted up recruiting battles.
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