I can't express how comforting your post is. Becoming a lawyer always seemed impossible for someone with a stutter since the profession demands strong rhetorical abilities. From my experience, when you stutter frequently and can't control it, some people eventually stop focusing on what you're actually saying and instead concentrate on your speech impediment. Subconsciously, they might start to assume you're intellectually challenged in some way and lose respect for your abilities. That was my perception, at least, and I tend to be quite self-conscious.