Any recommendations for someone somewhere between asperger's/autism? I'm starting my firm job in a month. Forum

[Anonymous User]

Anonymous because I don't want this connected with my other posts on this forum. Is anyone else here autistic or asperger's? I have spent a lot of time on forums learning about how to function as an autistic lawyer, and I just found this forum. I thought I would ask you all too.

Do you have any recommendations for making it work as an associate? It's going to be much harder than being a summer associate. Any rules of thumb or techniques I can use to fake it until I make it? I don't plan to make partner. My goal is to go to the US Attorney's office, in house or something prestigious in the long-term. I want to hide my condition as much as possible and leave with good recommendations.

Thank you in advance for any thoughtful responses.

[Anonymous User]

Anonymous because I don't want this connected with my other posts on this forum. Is anyone else here autistic or asperger's? I have spent a lot of time on forums learning about how to function as an autistic lawyer, and I just found this forum. I thought I would ask you all too.

Do you have any recommendations for making it work as an associate? It's going to be much harder than being a summer associate. Any rules of thumb or techniques I can use to fake it until I make it? I don't plan to make partner. My goal is to go to the US Attorney's office, in house or something prestigious in the long-term. I want to hide my condition as much as possible and leave with good recommendations.

Thank you in advance for any thoughtful responses.

Sorry I can't offer advice, but I also have autism and have similar post-biglaw goals. I traded up firms as a 3L so I didn't have a chance to form social bonds with anyone in my group. I'm able to mask my aspie quirks/tendencies in work-related Zoom calls, but I'm dreading the day when we're forced to interact in person and they realize my quirks make them uncomfortable.

[Anonymous User]

Anonymous because I don't want this connected with my other posts on this forum. Is anyone else here autistic or asperger's? I have spent a lot of time on forums learning about how to function as an autistic lawyer, and I just found this forum. I thought I would ask you all too.

Do you have any recommendations for making it work as an associate? It's going to be much harder than being a summer associate. Any rules of thumb or techniques I can use to fake it until I make it? I don't plan to make partner. My goal is to go to the US Attorney's office, in house or something prestigious in the long-term. I want to hide my condition as much as possible and leave with good recommendations.

Thank you in advance for any thoughtful responses.

Sorry I can't offer advice, but I also have autism and have similar post-biglaw goals. I traded up firms as a 3L so I didn't have a chance to form social bonds with anyone in my group. I'm able to mask my aspie quirks/tendencies in work-related Zoom calls, but I'm dreading the day when we're forced to interact in person and they realize my quirks make them uncomfortable.

Zoom is a life saver. I expect to be able to use it for at least half of 2021, maybe more. That will help with the transition. I wish there were some basic rules I could write on a card and memorize, that teach me how to act around people so they never know. My hero is the fictional character Jerry Espenson, although he doesn't really seem to be autistic based on the way he acts.

[Anonymous User]

Do any other ASD lawyers want to chime in? For some reason I'm most comfortable talking to people in online forums and message boards, and I was hoping this could be an ongoing support thread for us. I have so many questions for lawyers who made it despite ASD, like:

1. What practice areas are most suitable for us? Any areas we should avoid?
2. What types of people are our nemesis and which are most supportive/helpful, and how do we identify them?
3. Are there firms that are better or worse for ASD?
4. If ASD makes you less desirable than another associate in the competitive world of biglaw, how can you overcome this by outworking the others? I'm hoping that my immaculate document, contract or case reviews and brief writing will make me indispensable in my partner's eyes. I'm an amazing worker bee. I think my ASD is an advantage, honestly.

[Anonymous User]

Not ASD, but with respect to #1 think that a specialist practice area like tax or ERISA, something like that, would be more suitable. In my experience in a generalist practice group specialist attorneys can work in service roles and don't need to worry about bringing in business and can focus on making clients happy by delivering high-quality work product. M&A probably a practice area to steer away from as a key skill set as you get more senior are vague EQ-related skills like being "deal oriented" and "acting commercial"--often boiling down to being outgoing and assertive.

Re #4, yes if are a hard worker and deliver good work product, it can go a long way. At the end of the day, social skills are important but if you are a good attorney people will recognize that. Unless you work in a place with bad culture. Those are out there in biglaw but not much you can do about that other than moving on.

[Anonymous User]

M&A probably a practice area to steer away from as a key skill set as you get more senior are vague EQ-related skills like being "deal oriented" and "acting commercial"--often boiling down to being outgoing and assertive.

Thanks I wasn't aware of this.

[TigerIsBack]

Do any other ASD lawyers want to chime in? For some reason I'm most comfortable talking to people in online forums and message boards, and I was hoping this could be an ongoing support thread for us. I have so many questions for lawyers who made it despite ASD, like:

1. What practice areas are most suitable for us? Any areas we should avoid?
2. What types of people are our nemesis and which are most supportive/helpful, and how do we identify them?
3. Are there firms that are better or worse for ASD?
4. If ASD makes you less desirable than another associate in the competitive world of biglaw, how can you overcome this by outworking the others? I'm hoping that my immaculate document, contract or case reviews and brief writing will make me indispensable in my partner's eyes. I'm an amazing worker bee. I think my ASD is an advantage, honestly.

On the bolded, whether you have ASD or not, this type of work will make you desirable at any law firm in any practice. This is the only thing people need out of a junior associate is basically hard work and attention to detail. I agree that M&A requires a little more of the "soft" EQ-related skills as you get more senior, but firms will always need people that can churn out A+ legal docs and provide A+ legal analysis, even if someone else with greater EQ skills has to then frame that analysis for the client.

It may not make you a great rainmaker, but you can probably make it to service partner in many groups.

[Anonymous User]

Do any other ASD lawyers want to chime in? For some reason I'm most comfortable talking to people in online forums and message boards, and I was hoping this could be an ongoing support thread for us. I have so many questions for lawyers who made it despite ASD, like:

1. What practice areas are most suitable for us? Any areas we should avoid?
2. What types of people are our nemesis and which are most supportive/helpful, and how do we identify them?
3. Are there firms that are better or worse for ASD?
4. If ASD makes you less desirable than another associate in the competitive world of biglaw, how can you overcome this by outworking the others? I'm hoping that my immaculate document, contract or case reviews and brief writing will make me indispensable in my partner's eyes. I'm an amazing worker bee. I think my ASD is an advantage, honestly.

On the bolded, whether you have ASD or not, this type of work will make you desirable at any law firm in any practice. This is the only thing people need out of a junior associate is basically hard work and attention to detail. I agree that M&A requires a little more of the "soft" EQ-related skills as you get more senior, but firms will always need people that can churn out A+ legal docs and provide A+ legal analysis, even if someone else with greater EQ skills has to then frame that analysis for the client.

It may not make you a great rainmaker, but you can probably make it to service partner in many groups.

I just started so could be way off here, but I actually feel like a lot of it is more "soft"/EQ-type skills than I ever would have imagined. I'm at a free-market firm, and even just seeking out work with people you want to work with requires soft skills. Or getting the exact tone right in emails, knowing when to put a question in an email versus picking up the phone, when to follow up with people, trying to figure out what would make your supervisors' lives easier (which is your sole role as a junior), etc. I thought I had pretty solid professional judgment, but it's a much more demanding corporate environment than I've worked in before. Especially as a junior where you have very few opportunities to "churn out A+ legal docs" and it's mostly just about project management skills (at least on the transactional side), I feel like my soft people skills are stretched pretty much constantly. And I'm just an introvert, but neurotypical. Ymmv but working in a large transactional group has been tough for me.

I think OP should be aware that if they want to do transactional work, they won't be coming out of the gate drafting complex documents, immaculate or otherwise. It's a lot of coordination, organization and chasing people for stuff.

[Anonymous User]

I just started so could be way off here, but I actually feel like a lot of it is more "soft"/EQ-type skills than I ever would have imagined. I'm at a free-market firm, and even just seeking out work with people you want to work with requires soft skills. Or getting the exact tone right in emails, knowing when to put a question in an email versus picking up the phone, when to follow up with people, trying to figure out what would make your supervisors' lives easier (which is your sole role as a junior), etc. I thought I had pretty solid professional judgment, but it's a much more demanding corporate environment than I've worked in before. Especially as a junior where you have very few opportunities to "churn out A+ legal docs" and it's mostly just about project management skills (at least on the transactional side), I feel like my soft people skills are stretched pretty much constantly. And I'm just an introvert, but neurotypical. Ymmv but working in a large transactional group has been tough for me.

I think OP should be aware that if they want to do transactional work, they won't be coming out of the gate drafting complex documents, immaculate or otherwise. It's a lot of coordination, organization and chasing people for stuff.

Thank you this is very helpful. If anyone has more examples and anecdotes I would appreciate it.

I don't know how my firm operates honestly. I think it might be free market too. During the summer we were assigned to teams and projects but I don't know how it works for associates. I hope my ASD doesn't cause me to get locked out of work. I'll think ahead and plan about these skills, like how to phrase an email or how to talk to people but I feel like I'm behind the 8 ball in that kind of firm. Are there firms that are definitely not free market?

I'm so glad us ASD folks have forums to communicate on. I don't know how ASD people lived in the old days when the only way they could communicate was by talking to people.

[Anonymous User]

Great questions and discussion. Just a few random thoughts:

1. From personal experience, I have not found much problem navigating it, although I’m very good at masking it. Partners who sit closest to me and know me well have actually joked that I’m on the spectrum or often times make jokes that I’m “odd.” Doesn’t bother me at all, but there’s always this thought I don’t quite always cover my tracks day in and day out.

2. Find a firm/practice area that matches you. If you’re super uptight and formal, don’t go to Gunderson and do EC/VC work. If you’re very laid back, don’t go to SullCrom and do bank regulatory work. A lot of ASD people are really bad at understanding or caring about how they come off to others. So if you’re a fish out of water in your group, you’ll be bad at integrating into the group.

3. If you’re like most ASD people who are uncomfortable with social interaction, specialty groups are better than corporate. Corporate is A LOT more client interactions, client generations, long term relationship, etc. Tax people are hired guns who get on a call to talk about corporate conversions and then leave. This can be a lot more comfortable for some.

4. It doesn’t have to be a negative. A lot of my clients appreciate my bluntness and direct attitude. I’ve found there are definitely clients I just can’t click with though.

5. Find a group that is a bit older. Less going out, impromptu social gatherings, etc. I do my work and go home. A 2 hour social on Thursday evening is 15X worse than a 12 hour day for me.

6. Be good at what you do. I’m on the spectrum, but there is a guy on the group who is way deeper than I am. He had a harder path forward than some, but he’s really, really bright. He almost can’t be put in front of clients. He either likes them and gets along OK or doesn’t like them and basically tells them they’re idiots and spends 2 months on a deal with painful calls. He just made equity partner because he’s a really good attorney. He‘ll never be a rainmaker, but he doesn’t want to be that.

[Anonymous User]

Great questions and discussion. Just a few random thoughts:

1. From personal experience, I have not found much problem navigating it, although I’m very good at masking it. Partners who sit closest to me and know me well have actually joked that I’m on the spectrum or often times make jokes that I’m “odd.” Doesn’t bother me at all, but there’s always this thought I don’t quite always cover my tracks day in and day out.

2. Find a firm/practice area that matches you. If you’re super uptight and formal, don’t go to Gunderson and do EC/VC work. If you’re very laid back, don’t go to SullCrom and do bank regulatory work. A lot of ASD people are really bad at understanding or caring about how they come off to others. So if you’re a fish out of water in your group, you’ll be bad at integrating into the group.

3. If you’re like most ASD people who are uncomfortable with social interaction, specialty groups are better than corporate. Corporate is A LOT more client interactions, client generations, long term relationship, etc. Tax people are hired guns who get on a call to talk about corporate conversions and then leave. This can be a lot more comfortable for some.

4. It doesn’t have to be a negative. A lot of my clients appreciate my bluntness and direct attitude. I’ve found there are definitely clients I just can’t click with though.

5. Find a group that is a bit older. Less going out, impromptu social gatherings, etc. I do my work and go home. A 2 hour social on Thursday evening is 15X worse than a 12 hour day for me.

6. Be good at what you do. I’m on the spectrum, but there is a guy on the group who is way deeper than I am. He had a harder path forward than some, but he’s really, really bright. He almost can’t be put in front of clients. He either likes them and gets along OK or doesn’t like them and basically tells them they’re idiots and spends 2 months on a deal with painful calls. He just made equity partner because he’s a really good attorney. He‘ll never be a rainmaker, but he doesn’t want to be that.

Thank you. Yes I definitely do not like happy hour. Of course I would love to make equity partner, but I'll be happy if I can just get some experience here and then move to a long-term job in government, which is a place where I think ASD people can thrive. I only took basic income taxation in law school but I'll also look for opportunities to work on tax matters, which is another suitable long-term career.

[Anonymous User]

Anon because my post history combined with the below could effectively out me.

I'm a tax attorney at a biglaw firm. I just want to put in the two cents for the idea that a good percentage of tax attorneys are something besides "deal support" (i.e. support ongoing corp matters but do not need to pull in their own clients). The vast majority of tax partners at my biglaw firm bring in their own clients. A very small minority of tax partners at my biglaw firm are the "hired guns" that support matters being driven by other practice groups. If you're interested in the hired gun approach, then you would want to be sure to focus on / look specifically into M&A/deal support tax.

[Anonymous User]

Several thoughts (but from a non-ASD person so obviously take or leave as applicable/helpful)

• I have ADHD and two things I have to really be careful about at work (which I mention because it seems like there may be some ADHD/ASD overlap with these behaviors) are: (1) talking way too much (or too loudly or, to a lesser degree, too indiscreetly), and (2) focusing on the wrong things. The first one is pretty self-explanatory - I basically just try to speak as little as possible which results in me speaking an average amount. Your comment about the quality of your work product made me think of the second one. My natural instinct is to do everything super thoroughly (in part because I'm naturally sloppy so I overcompensate and also because once I am actually interested in something I tend to fixate). At first this makes a great impression because most junior associate work is insufficiently thorough and full of errors. However, eventually people start getting annoyed at how long it takes me to do something. Because law firm work tends to be urgent (or at least viewed as such), I have to consciously force myself to think things like, "is creating this detailed chronology of these text messages actually going to be useful to anyone, or is the value that it adds going to be outweighed by the fact that it's holding up the rest of this draft that someone needs?" Also, an issue that sort of encompasses both Item 1 and Item 2 is writing emails that are way too long and no one reads.

• As someone else kind of touched on, I think it may be easier than you think to hide any social quirks. I work with someone who has a lot of behaviors that I associate with someone potentially being on the spectrum, but I genuinely have no idea if he actually is. Also, people working at law firms are often stressed, tired, unhappy, angry, rude, etc. (both acutely and chronically), so I would almost certainly attribute any occasional quirky behavior to something like that. I only notice the person that I work with because I talk to him multiple times a day every day.

• Other than deal support tax, I think litigation is likely to be a much better fit (and makes more sense anyway since you want to do govt). Bank regulatory work would be closer to litigation than typical corporate work, but there's still a lot more client contact and need for social skills than there is in litigation.* I'm not sure I spoke to a single client as a first-year associate in litigation, but my friends in corporate were leading client calls.

*Notwithstanding this comment, bank regulatory could be a good fit if you think you may be interested in bank-focused work. I worked with someone who could very well have been on the spectrum who did this kind of work and was AMAZING at it. Her attention to detail was a perfect fit for this area, which is way more in the weeds than a lot of litigation work (but still something that you could use to transition to a government job). She was occasionally a little "off" in our interactions, and she seemed to be uncomfortable making eye contact, but not to the point that she couldn't be involved with clients. I do think there's a "know thyself" element to this, which I recognize is part of the challenge in the first place, but if you are mostly able to get by in social interactions, I think you can give yourself more latitude in picking a practice area.

[Anonymous User]

Several thoughts (but from a non-ASD person so obviously take or leave as applicable/helpful)

• I have ADHD and two things I have to really be careful about at work (which I mention because it seems like there may be some ADHD/ASD overlap with these behaviors) are: (1) talking way too much (or too loudly or, to a lesser degree, too indiscreetly), and (2) focusing on the wrong things. The first one is pretty self-explanatory - I basically just try to speak as little as possible which results in me speaking an average amount. Your comment about the quality of your work product made me think of the second one. My natural instinct is to do everything super thoroughly (in part because I'm naturally sloppy so I overcompensate and also because once I am actually interested in something I tend to fixate). At first this makes a great impression because most junior associate work is insufficiently thorough and full of errors. However, eventually people start getting annoyed at how long it takes me to do something. Because law firm work tends to be urgent (or at least viewed as such), I have to consciously force myself to think things like, "is creating this detailed chronology of these text messages actually going to be useful to anyone, or is the value that it adds going to be outweighed by the fact that it's holding up the rest of this draft that someone needs?" Also, an issue that sort of encompasses both Item 1 and Item 2 is writing emails that are way too long and no one reads.

• As someone else kind of touched on, I think it may be easier than you think to hide any social quirks. I work with someone who has a lot of behaviors that I associate with someone potentially being on the spectrum, but I genuinely have no idea if he actually is. Also, people working at law firms are often stressed, tired, unhappy, angry, rude, etc. (both acutely and chronically), so I would almost certainly attribute any occasional quirky behavior to something like that. I only notice the person that I work with because I talk to him multiple times a day every day.

• Other than deal support tax, I think litigation is likely to be a much better fit (and makes more sense anyway since you want to do govt). Bank regulatory work would be closer to litigation than typical corporate work, but there's still a lot more client contact and need for social skills than there is in litigation.* I'm not sure I spoke to a single client as a first-year associate in litigation, but my friends in corporate were leading client calls.

*Notwithstanding this comment, bank regulatory could be a good fit if you think you may be interested in bank-focused work. I worked with someone who could very well have been on the spectrum who did this kind of work and was AMAZING at it. Her attention to detail was a perfect fit for this area, which is way more in the weeds than a lot of litigation work (but still something that you could use to transition to a government job). She was occasionally a little "off" in our interactions, and she seemed to be uncomfortable making eye contact, but not to the point that she couldn't be involved with clients. I do think there's a "know thyself" element to this, which I recognize is part of the challenge in the first place, but if you are mostly able to get by in social interactions, I think you can give yourself more latitude in picking a practice area.

Thank you I'll add bank regulatory as a possible practice area, in addition to tax, ERISA and litigation, ideally at a non-free market firm. Litigation is probably where I will wind up long-term, but it's good to have alternate plans too.

This thread is very helpful so far. I really appreciate the long thoughtful responses and I read every one twice and will come back to this thread throughout my career. I'm so glad us ASD/ADHD and other non "normal" types have a place where we can find each other and talk and communicate. Thank you so much TLS.

[Anonymous User]

I'd appreciate other's thought but the way I see it, there are two huge benefits to being ASD in litigation.

1. Lack of emotion.
1.a. When representing corporate clients, they've often done something wrong. Nothing serious or covid level but sometimes people get hurt in exchange for the progress they provide the economy.
1.a.i. Some lawyers feel guilty being on the other side of "victims."
1.a.ii. But really it's not about a rational analysis of right or wrong, where you weigh the good done by the defendant and balance it. It's emotion pure and simple.
1.a.iii. ASD people have a superpower in that although we feel extra strong emotions about some things, we feel less emotions about others.
1.a.iv. I don't expect emotion to hold me back.

2. The ability to find that one little rule that shocks everyone and turns the case in your client's favor.
2.a. One good thing about the law is that it's not a debate in front of an audience, like the Presidential debates.
2.a.i. It's a set of rules, procedural and substantive.
2.a.ii. If you find the right rule to help your client end the case, it doesn't matter what an audience or anyone thinks. It's over.
2.a.iii. There are a lot of these little tricky rules in the rules of civil procedure and in the substantive laws.
2.a.iv. Non-ASD lawyers will lose patience and they won't for these, but ASD lawyers will find them and use the with deadly effectiveness. If there was an Olympics of this talent, I would win a gold medal.

Overall I think the benefits of being ASD far outweigh the negatives in law. This isn't a "beauty contest" where you get points for "congeniality." It's law, it's hard, and the victor is the one who works hardest.

[nixy]

2. The ability to find that one little rule that shocks everyone and turns the case in your client's favor.
2.a. One good thing about the law is that it's not a debate in front of an audience, like the Presidential debates.
2.a.i. It's a set of rules, procedural and substantive.
2.a.ii. If you find the right rule to help your client end the case, it doesn't matter what an audience or anyone thinks. It's over.
2.a.iii. There are a lot of these little tricky rules in the rules of civil procedure and in the substantive laws.
2.a.iv. Non-ASD lawyers will lose patience and they won't for these, but ASD lawyers will find them and use the with deadly effectiveness. If there was an Olympics of this talent, I would win a gold medal.

I don’t think this is limited to ASD lawyers in any way; it may be something that’s a strength for ASD lawyers, but it’s a strength for many lawyers (many of whom are introverts who get into researching stuff, even if not ASD).

I also don’t think emotion holds most biglawyers back; if you look at any of the threads here that get into biglaw meaning you represent the bad guys, the vast majority of people doing the job don’t have an issue with that. It’s usually people outside biglaw lobbing the accusation at those doing the job.

[Anonymous User]

This thread is very helpful so far. I really appreciate the long thoughtful responses and I read every one twice and will come back to this thread throughout my career. I'm so glad us ASD/ADHD and other non "normal" types have a place where we can find each other and talk and communicate. Thank you so much TLS.

Totally agree. This is a great thread.

[Anonymous User]

I also am on the spectrum and have a summer associate position next summer. I am quite nervous that my quirks will lead to a no-offer. So to those of you who made it, congratulations! How did you do it? I keep hearing about no-offers because of "fit."

[Anonymous User]

I don’t think this is limited to ASD lawyers in any way; it may be something that’s a strength for ASD lawyers, but it’s a strength for many lawyers (many of whom are introverts who get into researching stuff, even if not ASD).

Is that your way of saying you're introverted and not one of us weird ASD types? If anyone does feel that way, it might be worth paying to get a full analysis. There are no rules of thumb and I don't mean to play doctor but in general people who have rich lives on forums have a good chance of being ASD.

"Knowing theyself" including your strengths and weaknesses goes a long way to understanding how to thrive in the world.

[nixy]

I don’t think this is limited to ASD lawyers in any way; it may be something that’s a strength for ASD lawyers, but it’s a strength for many lawyers (many of whom are introverts who get into researching stuff, even if not ASD).

Is that your way of saying you're introverted and not one of us weird ASD types? If anyone does feel that way, it might be worth paying to get a full analysis. There are no rules of thumb and I don't mean to play doctor but in general people who have rich lives on forums have a good chance of being ASD.

"Knowing theyself" including your strengths and weaknesses goes a long way to understanding how to thrive in the world.

No, that’s not what I’m saying (I’m not offended by the idea or anything, and suppose it could be true, but it’s never come up in my long life so far; I suspect some undiagnosed ADHD but not ASD). I think “know yourself” is valuable advice, but I also think it’s important to be realistic about the profession. There are a lot of people in the world who are introverted/geeks without being ASD. There are a lot of people who participate in forums who aren’t ASD. Because certain things come naturally to people with ASD doesn’t mean they’re the only people with those characteristics, and I just wouldn’t want people thinking they’re situated differently than they actually are.

[Anonymous User]

No, that’s not what I’m saying (I’m not offended by the idea or anything, and suppose it could be true, but it’s never come up in my long life so far; I suspect some undiagnosed ADHD but not ASD).

You should get checked out so you know what you have. I have posted on forums for a decade, mostly reddit and some hobby forums. I spend about 2 to 4 hours a day on them because forums let me talk, joke and have fun with people without triggering my ASD. I have also met some member, many of whom had or could relate to ASD. There is nothing wrong with it and in a way, forums equalize us with non-ASD people. They are like a bar or party for ASD. I am hoping that we could have our own ASD-only lawyers forum one day, one where we network and perhaps even develop business among ourselves. In the meantime, this thread is a good start.

[Anonymous User]

No, that’s not what I’m saying (I’m not offended by the idea or anything, and suppose it could be true, but it’s never come up in my long life so far; I suspect some undiagnosed ADHD but not ASD). I think “know yourself” is valuable advice, but I also think it’s important to be realistic about the profession. There are a lot of people in the world who are introverted/geeks without being ASD. There are a lot of people who participate in forums who aren’t ASD. Because certain things come naturally to people with ASD doesn’t mean they’re the only people with those characteristics, and I just wouldn’t want people thinking they’re situated differently than they actually are.

There are a lot of articles about how autism works well in law. A few below.

Life as a junior lawyer with autism https://www.legalcheek.com/lc-careers-p ... th-autism/

For lawyers with autism, the work often pairs up with things they do well https://www.abajournal.com/web/article/ ... ey-do-well

Can Aspergers make you a better lawyer? https://moulislegal.com/about/diversity ... er-lawyer/

[nixy]

I absolutely agree. I’m just saying that law being a good choice for people with autism/playing to their strengths doesn’t mean that people with autism are automatically going to be better at law than people without. I’m not at all pushing back on the idea that people with autism can excel as lawyers - I’m sure they can and do. I’m only pushing back on the idea that was expressed that lawyers with autism have a huge benefit in litigation because they will find that one right case/procedural rule when non-ASD lawyers won’t. As someone who’s been in litigation for a while now, that just seemed a dangerous assumption to rely on for success in a firm, at least the way it was expressed.

That’s all I wanted to say about that.

[Anonymous User]

I absolutely agree. I’m just saying that law being a good choice for people with autism/playing to their strengths doesn’t mean that people with autism are automatically going to be better at law than people without.

Nothing is automatic. A more gifted athlete won't automatically be a better football player, but they have innate advantages that might translate into success.

[Anonymous User]

Linking to a really helpful discussion on the importance of popularity in biglaw to save the link in this thread for other ASD readers. viewtopic.php?f=23&t=307922&start=25

(also, weren't you just recently worrying about whether you should be getting more to do than doc review?)

Oh wow, you’re right, this was the same person who was worried that he was doing doc review despite being “T14 and at a V5.”

avenuem, very seriously, I don’t know how you come off in person, but you should do some self-reflection to make sure you aren’t alienating your coworkers. You have every right to be proud of where you’ve gotten, and it’s great that you take pride in your work, but the way you fail in Biglaw is when nobody wants to work with you. Usually that happens because the person is incompetent, but if everyone thinks you have a bad attitude, that’s just as bad (and sometimes worse as a junior).