This is the fourth article in the monthly “An Interview With” series! In this series, I connect with people from all parts of the legal profession and at all stages of their legal careers to learn who really makes up the legal community and what they are actually doing with their legal degrees.
This month, I am talking with Logan O’Reilly, who is a Tax Consultant at Ernst & Young. Logan is a 2017 graduate of the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University and 2019 LL.M. graduate of Georgetown Law. In addition, Logan has a vision condition called Stargardt’s macular dystrophy, colloquially known as juvenile macular degeneration. The disease is progressive and causes Logan to slowly lose his central vision acuity until he will be legally blind. In this interview, Logan shares valuable insight into his experience as a lawyer and law student with a vision impairment.
KS: Please share what your journey navigating law school, the bar exam, and your LL.M. program was like in light of your vision impairment. Please speak specifically to any challenges that arose and how you overcame them.
LO: My vision problems started in high school where I realized that I had trouble seeing who was walking toward me, and I had trouble seeing the whiteboard. Flash forward to law school: my eyesight got worse, and my struggles with accommodations began. At the time, my law school did not have a Director of Disabilities on-site, and the individuals who managed the accommodations did not do so full time. This made it difficult because working with someone who is ADA-knowledgeable is helpful as they would have ideas on how to handle accessibility issues and devices you never knew existed.
My vision problems also caused a financial burden. I needed electronic versions of all of my reading materials. In order to get the rights for these, I would have to buy all of my books brand-new. I ended up spending close to $1,000 on my books each semester, which really hurt my budget.
Furthermore, many professors did not understand my disability, which is understandable as my disability was invisible, and they didn’t see an apparent need for my accommodations. However, it was difficult not having enlarged handouts in class and not being able to see the projector, especially in legal research. I still don’t know how to Bluebook, and citations scare me! I was also contributory negligent (throwing bar exam terms out there) because I didn’t know how to advocate for myself. I tried and was met with resistance. My final exams in the first year were a disaster! I had to use scantrons and I did not know where the line was that I was supposed to fill out. Luckily for me, I used this experience as a learning lesson and I helped teach the Registrar’s office about my disability. I became very close with the people in the Registrar’s office.
The bar exam was not so difficult to get accommodations for because I had about 80 pages of medical documentation. However, the process of getting bar exam accommodations required endless doctor’s signatures and forms to be filled out. If you’re taking the bar in July, start getting all of the materials and applications together in the fall. For those of you applying for accommodations for the [New York] bar exam, be prepared to have to take it in Albany! This was such a hassle because when you’re visually impaired, how does one get to Albany?
It was during my LL.M. at Georgetown Law where I truly accepted my disability. Georgetown has a team dedicated to students with disabilities. It was here where I learned how to advocate for myself. I was given an office with assistive technology, and I was told where I could go within the city to get services. Furthermore, I was finally comfortable using a red/white cane to put people on notice that I am an individual with a disability.
I currently work at a firm that sees me beyond my disability and has worked with me to get my accommodations put in place.
KS: As one of the most positive people I know, I’d love for you to talk about any ways you feel your vision impairment has been a strength to you.
LO: I learned compassion which allowed me to look at everyone in a different light. Everyone works differently! My low vision has allowed me to learn material differently and given me the chance to prove people wrong. This experience has proven that having a disability doesn’t mean you are weak but makes you work 100 times harder to prove yourself.
KS: What inspired you to go to law school?
LO: I wanted a career in which I would always be learning and be challenged. As a gay man, there were so many obstacles I saw individuals have to break down for equality. When I was in college there were only a handful of states which allowed same-sex marriage. I wanted to help build a more equal country.
KS: What are some challenges you have faced in your first year as a tax consultant and how have you overcome them?
LO: As a tax consultant, I come up with plans that companies can use to minimize their tax liability. I write advisory opinions on how likely a company is to be taxed and how their worldwide income will be taxed to the state. One of the struggles I deal with is the compliance aspect of tax. There are times where I have to use an Excel spreadsheet to figure out how one subsidiary’s income will affect the whole parent and subsidiary’s combined return. Excel is hard for me to use as rows can go on for pages and with my magnification software, I can’t always see the headers.
KS: What, if anything, did you do in law school that you found really helpful in preparing you for your first year of practice? In retrospect, is there anything you wish you had done differently to be better prepared?
LO: I think the classes offered by your school’s academic support team are a must! They really teach you how to analyze and to think like a lawyer. I think another great thing to do is network and build a network of people who will support you and give you career advice. Also, don’t be afraid to ask for help. It took me to my 2L year to gather the courage to go to my academic support center, and, once I did, I made lifelong friends there. They helped me with everything through my finals to the bar exam, and with all of my interpersonal issues in between.
KS: I can say from knowing you through law school and the bar exam that there is no challenge that will knock you off the path or make you back down. However, I think a lot of people in your situation might have given up or not gone to law school in the first place because of the difficulties and challenges. What advice do you have for law students who need to overcome challenges?
LO: Talk to people about your challenges. Let them lift you up and encourage you. Don’t give up on your dreams. Use your challenge as a way to find a new, more innovative solution.
You can connect with Logan here.
Know someone who would be great to profile in this series? Send an email to info@vincoprep.com with “An Interview With” in the subject line.
Kerriann Stout is a millennial law school professor and founder of Vinco (a bar exam coaching company) who is generationally trapped between her students and colleagues. Kerriann has helped hundreds of students survive law school and the bar exam with less stress and more confidence. She lives, works, and writes in the northeast. You can reach her by email at info@vincoprep.com.