Although Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data indicate that more than 25 percent of adults live with a disability, the number of lawyers who self-identify as having a disability is about 1.2 percent. That’s according to the National Association for Law Placement’s 2021 Report on Diversity in U.S. Law Firms. In a May 2022 article for Legal Management magazine, Counsel Michael Sabella said stigma helps explain that disparity. Quoted in the article “Best Practices for Making Your Law Firm More Inclusive for People with Disabilities,” Sabella said, “People with a disability may believe they would be discriminated against by employers or coworkers if they were to disclose they had a disability.” For that reason, he added, “It is imperative that firms establish a culture of trust to encourage individuals to self-identify.”
Read the article