Attorneys with Disabilities

Michelle Rozovics’ love of learning and teaching takes her around the world

ABA member Michelle Rozovics—the managing attorney of Rozovics Law Firm in McHenry, Illinois, a small city northwest of Chicago—says curiosity led her to the legal profession. It inspired her to pursue international and business law and to work with clients, law students and judges around the world.

Nov 27, 2024 8:48 AM CST

Hazed and abused, some lawyers see bullying as part of job while others leave, new study says

Bullying experienced by lawyers is causing increased turnover and “a talent drain from the profession,” according to a new Illinois survey and study thought “to be one of the first wide-scale research projects” of its kind in the United States.

Oct 2, 2024 12:03 PM CDT

Justice Sotomayor’s side hustle during a hectic term? A children’s musical

“Of all my legacies, this is the one I’m most proud of,” Justice Sonia Sotomayor told about 200 parents, children, actors and musicians gathered in a church hall to rehearse a musical adaptation of her children’s book Just Ask. “You have brought to life a book that was in my head for over 35 years.”

Aug 29, 2024 12:45 PM CDT

Lawyer with muscular dystrophy shoots for the stars

Megan Parker was born with Ullrich congenital muscular dystrophy. She has a limited range of motion and uses a motorized wheelchair for mobility. She also has a tracheostomy tube in her neck and breathes through a ventilator. Despite these challenges, Parker persevered through college and law school, graduating with both a JD and an LLM.

Aug 1, 2024 1:30 AM CDT

Lewis Brisbois settles one former partner’s lawsuit; second is pending

Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith has settled a race and disability lawsuit filed by a Black former partner who cited remarks in emails by two partners who hired him.

Jul 31, 2024 12:20 PM CDT

Harvard Law grad who sued over bar exam accommodations loses in 2nd Circuit

Updated: A graduate of Harvard Law School can’t sue for denial of her full requests for accommodations while taking the bar exam, a federal appeals court has ruled.

Jul 23, 2024 8:39 AM CDT

ABA asks lawyers with disabilities to ‘put themselves on the map’ and #BeCounted

To celebrate Disability Pride Month, the ABA Commission on Disability Rights has launched the #BeCounted campaign.

Jul 18, 2024 1:10 PM CDT

Attorney with ‘cognitive impairment’ entitled to disability pay, court says

An insurance company improperly denied a Minnesota trademark attorney her long-term disability benefits, a federal court has ruled.

Jul 18, 2024 8:00 AM CDT

BigLaw DEI leader encountered bias after standing up to ‘nearly all-white firm,’ bias suit alleges

The former vice president of diversity, equity and inclusion at Armstrong Teasdale alleges in a bias lawsuit that the law firm fired her after rebuffing her requests for additional staff and preventing her from doing her job.

Jul 8, 2024 12:37 PM CDT

Florida lawyer seeking permanent retirement can’t sue in federal court, judge concludes

Updated: A federal judge has tossed a lawsuit by a Florida lawyer who wanted to permanently retire from the bar while facing possible discipline following a misdemeanor conviction for brandishing a baseball bat.

Jun 18, 2024 3:52 PM CDT

Kaufman Dolowich fired associate after rejecting his disability accommodation request, suit alleges

A fired associate at Kaufman Dolowich in Philadelphia has sued the law firm for alleged disability discrimination.

Jun 13, 2024 2:53 PM CDT

Retired D.C. Circuit judge talks about his memoir on navigating a legal career through blindness

Judge David Tatel retired late last year after nearly 30 years on the federal appeals court. In all that time, he never saw a single piece of paper nor an attorney arguing before him. Vision: A Memoir of Blindness and Justice shares his journey.

Jun 11, 2024 8:35 AM CDT

Former Wilson Elser partner didn’t show chronic fatigue entitled him to disability coverage, judge says

A former nonequity partner at Wilson Elser Moskowitz Edelman & Dicker is not entitled to long-term disability benefits because he failed to show that his chronic fatigue syndrome was so severe that it kept him from performing the regular duties of his job, a federal judge has ruled.

Feb 15, 2024 9:35 AM CST

Florida Supreme Court tells state bar to stop funding diversity initiatives

The Florida Supreme Court has directed the state bar to stop funding diversity and inclusion initiatives in its new budget.

Feb 6, 2024 8:21 AM CST

Accommodation Awareness: As management retools remote work policies, ADA issues are expected

For some employers, including law firms, it’s long past time to get employees back into the office. But some workers, from staff to lawyers, are putting up a fight, pushing for hybrid or fully remote work schedules.

Jan 25, 2024 11:34 AM CST