Hearing lawyer clueless about deaf lawyers and attorneys

Here's one hearing lawyer out of San Francisco in a legal advice webpage who was asked a question on whether if there are deaf lawyers in the United States. The response given is an example of lawyers who are not aware of the fact that, yes, there are deaf lawyers out there.

Q:Are there deaf lawyers? If there are, do they have a translator who explains what the deaf lawyer is signing and/or saying? Or is the judge supposed to be able to understand the deaf lawyer? 

A:   I do not know of any lawyers who are hearing impaired, nor have I observed any in court. Typically, though, a participant would either bring his or her own signer, or the court will provide one upon reasonable advance notice. Many courts provide listening devices for participants who require amplification, again upon advance notice.

Apparently if you do a Google search you will find that there are deaf/hh lawyers in existence and the number continues to grow with well over 200 lawyers or those seeking law license. There are culturally deaf lawyers as well as deaf/hh lawyers that do not know or know little sign language who may wear cochlear implants or hearing aids as a result of being born with a hearing loss or acquired hearing loss later in life. 

Deaf Lawyers and Cochlear Implant Users

Calvin Shaw in Australia is deaf and wears a cochlear implant. He has worn a cochlear implant since the age of 2 after contracting Meningococcal meningitis causing profound deafness. Beginning in 2012 he is now working as a graduate lawyer in the litigation practice group at Freehills.

And then you have Holly Taylor who was the inaugural winner of the prestigious Graeme Clark Scholarship in 2002 and is now a corporate lawyer with Mills Oakley.  She received her cochlear implant at the age of 4 in 1987 who was at the time the youngest cochlear implant recipient.

“I decided I wanted to be a lawyer rather than an economist (a passion at high school) after being a summer clerk and graduate lawyer at Clayton Utz and really enjoying the work, the clients and the challenges,” said Taylor. 

Taylor said that, while her hearing condition has never been a barrier to her legal career, lawyers with hearing difficulties who don’t have a cochlear implant still face barriers in forging legal careers.

“I believe that a deaf or severely hearing-impaired person without a cochlear implant would have great difficulty in successfully pursuing a similar career,” she said. (see Gary Donovon, late deafened lawyer) “It is difficult to imagine how the profession could change this, particularly in respect of corporate law, which is competitive and fast paced.

“On a micro level, the best thing anyone in the profession can do is to support and train those they work with.”

Not just lawyers but those who grew up with cochlear implants are working towards other future professions like a Certified Public Accountant, a profession in the medical field, an intelligence analyst for a government agency, or in the law profession while studying at an Ivy League university.