Judy Singer, an Australian sociologist, first used the term “neurodiversity” in her sociology honors thesis paper in 1998. Harvey Blume, with whom Singer corresponded about their mutual interest in autism, further popularized the word in a 1998 issue of The Atlantic stating, “Neurodiversity may be every bit as crucial for the human race as biodiversity is for life in general. Who can say what form of wiring will prove best at any given moment?”
In our relatively brief exposure to the concept of neurodiversity, we discovered employees with such capabilities have been working in the legal industry for decades, whether in a lawyer capacity or staff role. The change sweeping the marketplace, however, is the intentional recruiting and employment of neurodiverse individuals to serve in predefined functions that recognize their talents and play to their strengths.
We are joined by Tim Vogus and Haley Moss in this roundtable exploring the organizational aspects of working with and hiring neurodiverse talent in the legal industry.