Big Law For Beginners: Diverse Attorney Toolkit

If you’ve ever found yourself on your third Red Bull drafting a credit agreement at 2:37 a.m., you’ve probably thought:
“This cannot be what my ancestors prayed for.”

And you wouldn’t be wrong. BigLaw today has more in common with old-school indentured servitude than most of us care to admit. But it’s not just about grueling hours or overwhelming debt—this is a leadership problem.

Leadership at the top of certain firms is so laser-focused on profit that they completely overlook the fact that their system perpetuates life-altering emotional trauma on populations historically unfamiliar with the BigLaw ecosystem. First-generation lawyers, diverse attorneys, neurodivergent individuals, and veterans are especially susceptible due to information asymmetry: the firm knows the rules, but new entrants don’t.

This dynamic creates an arrangement of cohesion by default—people stay quiet because they simply don’t know what’s normal and what isn’t. Meanwhile, leadership—often white, male, and deeply stuck in boomer-era management habits—actively disrespects and undervalues minority associates.

Speaking of which, here’s a personal story for you: I once worked with a very prominent M&A partner who, during a Zoom call, saw my autistic, speech-delayed daughter walk into my home office. This brilliant little girl, full of creativity, was moving around in her own unique way. And what did this esteemed partner say? “Is that… a sad dog?”

When I calmly explained that it was my autistic daughter expressing her creativity, the partner just said, “Umm ok,” and moved on. No apology. Just pure oblivious boomer energy.

The Billable Hour as Debt Bondage (Now with 21st Century WiFi)

Indentured servitude in colonial America wasn’t limited to any one race. White workers—especially the Irish—signed contracts that locked them into years of hard labor to pay off debt. Today’s BigLaw contract? That’s called student loans, with a median debt now around $160,000.

Instead of fields, we have fluorescent lights. Instead of whips, we have Teams notifications.

And if you’re a neurodivergent attorney, it’s like someone threw in an extra hurdle. ADHD, autism spectrum disorder, anxiety—these don’t magically disappear because you made law review. They just become private struggles in a culture that demands uniformity.

Researchers call this “double empathy fatigue,” but most associates just call it Tuesday.

Lawyers of Color: Even Less Room to Breathe

The system hits lawyers of color harder. Black associates leave BigLaw almost twice as fast as white ones. Minority women? 85% exit by year seven.

It’s not just the workload. It’s the quiet exclusion: silent hostilities, fewer assignments, fewer sponsors, fewer people willing to stick their necks out for you.

If you’re a neurodivergent lawyer of color, multiply all that stress by two. Or maybe three.

The Firms Know What They’re Doing

This isn’t random attrition. It’s baked into the system—especially at the types of firms the executive administration has targeted in recent months.

These firms love a good DEI marketing campaign. But behind the glossy LinkedIn posts:

– Work gets assigned through whispers and buddy systems.
– Promotions depend on “fit,” which often means “acts exactly like the people already here.”
– There are zero consequences for letting underrepresented lawyers quietly vanish.

Change or Keep Hemorrhaging Talent

BigLaw could fix this—if woefully underqualified senior lawyers, who are hyper-focused on profit and client placation, cared. As a West Point graduate and U.S. Army Infantry Officer, I refrain from calling these competent practitioners “leaders,” as that title is reserved for those who embody true servant leadership required for organizational success. How could BigLaw fix this? Great question. Below are a few potentially worthwhile start points:

1. Make neurodivergence disclosure as ordinary as mentioning you’re allergic to shellfish.
2. Track and publish assignment data—who gets what work, and why.
3. Set real diversity benchmarks with real accountability.

Until then, BigLaw is just going to keep functioning like a fancy 18th-century shipping contract—one where the boat is full of brilliant people rowing for someone else’s treasure.

(OYH Industries LLC is happy to provide a version of this article with the appropriate Blue Book legal citations upon request.)

Paul Bryant, Esq. | paul@oyhindustries.com