commentr/StutterApril 8, 2019

Content

If your dream is to have a law career, please, please don't let something as trivial as a stutter persuade you to give up now. I'm a stuttering professional and can weigh in here - I went through a similar period in university at your age trying to article in a firm, but am so grateful I didn't let it derail me. After several years at a public firm, I now work in Corporate Tax - half my team is made up of tax lawyers, the other half CPAs (I'm in this group); we just took different paths to get to the same place. We defend/challenge/negotiate tax positions against taxation authorities - my stutter has ebbed and flowed over time and has been inconvenient at times, but when it's bad, I chalk it up to a bad day and start fresh the next one. My stutter has embarrassed me so such in the past that I refused long ago to get embarrassed at it again - it's a rock that it behind me and I'd be foolish to trip over it again. However, I was still tripping over that rock at 23 and it sucked. To unpack the feedback from your interviews, all of the comments were about your non-verbal communication; not the stuttering itself. That's good! All of these are easily trained. You likely have not had any formal interview preparation - the easiest way to start would be to record video on your phone of you and a friend doing a 10-minute mock interview. Watch it closely. Then do the same interview again and film. Watch it again. You'll see a major difference - I've helped friends do this and it always works - it just takes 45 minutes of your time. You will see your posture, your eye contact, fidgeting and can make corrections. You will hear your tone of voice and it will improve 10-fold. Your responses will be crisper, cleaner with better pauses and phrasing. Your stutter may still be there, but it will not matter. Around the time I hit 30, I used Toastmasters to help me to work on the non-verbal and even the verbal communication - I wish I went there sooner. Not only was everyone was helpful and supportive but they were there for a reason too and were looking to me to be helpful and supportive. This may not be everyone's cup of tea, but after receiving effective feedback and hearing other people tell me how much I've improved on my (eye contact, pauses, vocal projection, etc) it's hard not to feel good and confident. I'm not sure I would have had the confidence at 23 myself to even attend a meeting or let alone speak, but if you could, I'd bet you would find that helpful. You're in law school now and you have a great future - you've focused on academics and trust me, in any law career, that's the main cornerstone. People/clients will always pay attention and listen up when someone has good, helpful advice for them. Customer/client service is number 2 (listening, prompt responses, considerate nature/empathy and confidence are keys to success here). To help from over analyzing things (it may be tough when you are detail focused), just try to breathe and keep things simple. To become a lawyer, you just have finish law school, and article/pass the bar. That's just 2 things. You are so close - others have done it and you can too. Firms can be fickle, but some will certainly be interested - In my early 30s, I told one Partner who was interviewing me to lead his team that I stuttered (I usually let the interviewer know early on) and he started asking questions about it like my stuttering experiences/obstacles. He was impressed that despite the stutter I was still confident and otherwise communicated well (thanks to much practice and video) - he found my story inspirational and offered me the position on the spot.

Themes

Anticipation & AvoidanceEmotional ExperienceIdentity & DisabilitySchool & Work

Subthemes

Avoidance & SubstitutionHope & MotivationAcceptance & PrideEmployment & CareerPublic Speaking