aspie lawyers?

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I used to be a paralegal before starting a family. Let me tell you, it was my favorite position! The tasks kept me busy and I had my own office WITH A DOOR. The tasks were black and white with no room for interpretation.

If someone loves looking up facts and pouring over loads of data, this is a wonderful career path!

I was lucky and had a mostly cooperative group of NT females to work with. The gossip and chattiness got to me at times but it wasn't catty.

Being an AS attorney would put me on edge. As someone stated earlier, social convention and nuance would have to be highly attuned. You'd have to know how to turn on the charm if you want someone to see your side of a case.

Does it pay well?

3-5 years ago I was paid anywhere between $10 and $12/hour. Hopefully, it is a little higher now. It is really still quite a range. When I left work, the promotion of paralegal degrees was on the rise. It doesn't hurt to have one if you have the time and money to pursue it, but lots of places count experience more.

I would say that people with AS might have to be somewhat concerned about their people skills but if they feel that they can deal with the people oriented side of that job and like the field then they should go for it. It is essentially a choice that must be made based upon what one knows about themselves which is why I won't outright advocate it for an AS person nor deny it as an option, just it must be an option weighed carefully and pursued intelligently. We probably would excel at the legalistic side of the field because of our persistence and strong logical nature and if one thinks it would be a good field for them then they should pursue it as it is a field that tends to pay well.

I think many of the difficult points an aspie would face in practice have been mentioned, particularly the social items--inside and outside of a firm. However, if you have a true interest try to speak with an experienced faculty member at a law school. They will be able to give you some guidance as to careers in law that will be less demanding socially. For example, you may not thrive in a setting where you are expected to promote yourself and the firm and bring in X number of clients or billable work. However, you may be ideally suited to public interest advocacy or at least policy work in such an area--both in settings where you would very likely have limited responsibilities as a rainmaker.

Have a good understanding of your social limitations going into school, as the social pressures there will be nearly as demanding as the work world--at least it seemed to me that they were. That was in the early 80's and I didn't have a clue about AS and was thumped on by experiences in education a fair amount by then. I managed to do well in law school, but I had learned a few--but not many--coping skills in a master's program prior to that. Good luck and be assured that a law degree is a great education and there are a number of ways you could use it well.

i believe i could only do it if i were a public defender or did pro bono work, which of course would mean i'd make little money..not that i'd be interested in doing it for money. i think i could also be a lawyer if i handled civil rights or discrimination cases. it has the potential to be a very noble profession, but unfortunately, there don't seem to be a lot of lawyers with noble intentions.

I'd encourage you not to form too many views of how you might fit into the profession without speaking to someone who understands where you're coming from. I didn't know any lawyers until I was attending law school. I'm as certain as I can be that there was a faculty member that was an aspie. He was also the dreaded first-year contracts professor, much like Kingsfield of Paper Chase; however, I understood him and he understood me, and that made all the difference in the world. I also do a lot of pro bono work and many in the profession do the same. Good luck.

thanks eyeryone for your advice