Recently been diagnosed as an adult with ADHD , the inattentive kind if you believe in that classification. I'd been a good kid academically always but suffered from the inattentive side of it and always had to work 10x harder to keep up grades and extra curriculars. Got diagnosed when I reached an incredible level of burnout that is really messing things up in my last year of law school. Any people who've made it, especially in firm life, with these challenges and what helped you?
Former tier-1 lawyer with ADHD Vhere, I survived law school just fine with regular therapy and occasional medications, but corp law at a big 6 firm was unbelievably horrendous. Having to sit and focus with the level of attention to detail that's needed and looking through DD docs for hours at a desk caused severe burnout and no amount of therapy or medicine helped. Eventually quit and started litigation with a chamber. Things have been much better since. You need to be able to try different things and choose whichever path works for you, whether it's policy or academics or in house work, litigation or whatever else. Corp firms and the kind of work, hours, and expectations are probably the worst thing for anyone with ADHD, and your mental and physical health are far more important. You could always try working at a corp firm for a while and seeing if you can handle, while allowing yourself the freedom to leave if things don't work out.
Thanks so much for this perspective. I do hope maybe disputes at a T1 may be easier. But i totally understand where you're coming from. Struggle to do any tasks I don't have authentic interest in, but have no money to try those things.
Hi, I went to a psychiatrist in delhi at one of the big hospitals who also has her own clinic. Known for having a decent understanding of adult ADHD Don't feel comfortable sharing exactly but if you look it up you'll be able to find
There is no specific diagnosis which is accurate so do no let some doctor / test make you believe that it is a black and white assessment of ADHD. Often ADHD comes along with other conditions which impact learning. India is just starting to understand such disorders and we are still years away from when the system will understand that it is a spectrum of minor differences from the normal, let alone adopt modern approaches of support.
I grew up at a time when the education system and the workplace refused to acknowledge that such conditions could exist. You must get used to be called lazy, insincere, bizarre, mad, psycho, freak, etc. The list goes on. Thick skin to all of this is essential for survival. I feel for you, but the reality is that to survive you need to go through the following steps at breakneck speed, viz. victimhood, talking about it, being angry when no one really understands, hoards of internet reading, realising that it will always impact inter-personal aspects of your life, letting it impact your confidence and finally confronting what it really is to you. Once this is done you need to find the coping mechanism that your mind has already developed to address the condition and start enhancing that.
The hardest part is over for you which is law school or any form of school. You are now part of a profession where combining language with creative elements and out of the box thinking which come easier to you than others. Then you need to find what interests you, and if law is not what does then do not waste time - get out and get into a vocation which you feel inspired to be a part of. As someone who continued in law after finding out I had ADHD, here is what I can tell you works. Find your strengths, find which aspects of law you are good at, find your weaknesses and understand how to turn them into strengths or supplement them. Go back to your books and go through the uncomfortable process of studying again. Understand your patterns of attention and push the boundaries. Basically, set up a system which works for you. If you need to take time off to do this you should. A year off now to go through this process will only serve you well for the rest of your life.
Law firms in India are sadly merciless when it comes to dealing with issues like these since they are assembly line processes. If you need to achieve success in law firms you need to harness your unique skills and work twice as hard as everyone else. You should also seriously consider litigation. Join a small counsel chamber which gives you the ability to research and find unique solutions for legal cases, and implement them before a court. This provides you the opportunity to do a multitude of cases during the day and keeps you engaged while learning at a faster pace than at law firms (that is, you move away from assembly line processes to application of your unique skills). Once you gain this advantage you can always re-enter the law firm world.
What your condition gives you is a determination that is stronger than others; to get up in the face of adversity and flip it the finger and still come out on top. That is your secret tool as you move forward. Godspeed.
Thanks a ton. Placed in a disputes team at a firm because I realised early that I couldn't possibly fo corporate at a T1. Can't financially afford not joining a firm at all though (zero to negative amount of family money or house) , but will keep all this in mind. Research is really the most interesting thing to me about law and something I'm reasonably good at it. It's the presenting, drafting and also keeping track of multiple people assigning work that's quite hard. Also when it gets repetitive. But i do hope to find good workarounds and accommodations I can make for myself and figure it out
Never diagnosed with ADHD (because I know that ADHD diagnosis is a grey area) but I'm pretty sure I've got it to some extent. The best way to manage it is to keep yourself motivated by making to do lists for everything and by breaking down tasks into small portions.
Also, exercise works wonders for ADHD.
This is something you can beat with your will power but you need to give it your best every minute of every day.
And please don't let a doctor convince you that you need any sort of medication to manage this. If you've made this far, you definitely have what it takes to go all the way.
And please don't let a disputes lawyer at a T1 convince you that medication is not needed to manage adult ADHD in any person just because s/he did not need it.
If you've been prescribed meds, set alarms on your phone and take them on time. Order meds in advance. Don't miss follow-up appointments. You'll be fine!
Ah, now I see it. My bad. Sorry OP/other people, my intent was not to ask you to defy your doctor's instructions.
It was just to give strength and convey and that ADHD is a manageable condition without medications. Keeping a to do list for everything, noting down every instruction and following your lists meticulously can help you overcome the difficulties caused by ADHD.
I know that many doctors are trigger happy and prescribe meds without properly understanding/ analysing a condition. Next time you walk into a doctor's cabin, please observe how everything they use is sponsered by some or the other pharma company and not even the hospital they work for (pens, notepads, etc.). It's a globally recognised and accepted phenomenon that the pharma industry is greatly influencing the healthcare industry. Hence, only a word of caution.
I made the above comment. Liked your advice on exercise. Making lists for work stuff helps me a lot too.
May have gotten carried away a little because ADHD really does becomes unmanageable sometimes by the time it's diagnosed/recognised. Glad that it wasn't so in your experience. For me, I couldn't manage without medication initially. I manage fine without meds now.
About the whole healthcare-pharma nexus, I get your point but I've found a second opinion from another doctor to be a less risky approach in case of doubts.
On a different note, this whole lawyer gig with its ethical grays has made me a little more sympathetic of doctors. It would be unfair to believe that a lawyer can retain their integrity but a doctor can't. Cheers!
Nah bro you didn't get carried away. I did. I made a blanket statment and you corrected me. I'm glad that you did. I'm also glad to hear that you're doing well now. And I agree, not all doctors are the same. There are many professional ones too. Cheers! 👍
I am beginning to realize I might have it and in the process of getting diagnosed. I feel I survived so far only because I was litigating with a decent senior. Functioning alone is making all the difficulties come to surface.
I have heard that it is difficult to find someone who is well versed with Adult ADHD and related treatment. Can you share the details of the medical professional you consulted?
W.r.t firm life, I procrastinate big time and I can't concentrate for more than 30-40 mins max. I chill during the day and get stuff done during the night. I haven't been reprimanded and I don't think anyone has issues with the quality of my work. I hate how I am ruining my health by working late into the night when I can get things done during the day. Working in a tier 2 firm and the work hours are not very demanding. If I was facing tough deadlines, things might be different.
If your diagnosis is a medical diagnosis and not self-diagnosed, get yourself a prescription for the best legally available meth - Ritalin; Vynase; Modafinil; or any other medication that suits you.
I know of many, not just in law firms, but the larger corporate landscape out there, that credit adhd for their success. It allows you to synthesize disparate ideas together, be quicker on your feet as a result, in all likelihood you are also quite inquisitive by design. Adhd can be your edge in this world if you let it.
Also recommend you to read a few books about adhd.
I'm quit sure I too have the inattentive type ADHD.
I had to work really long hours to compensate for the chronic procrastination. It was particularly bad in the first few years, but fortunately, for some reason, my team didn't have as much work then and I had a great boss who believed that as long as I did my work, they didn't care whether it was done at 4am or 4pm. My boss was fine if I came to office late if it didn't impact my work. I couldn't have continued in a law firm environment without that boss and I'm still very grateful to them for their kindness.
I got a little better with time. Due to my severe procrastination, I actually learnt a lot of law (lol). I would rather figure a legal, commercial or tax issue linked to my diligence than summarise the heaps of garbage in a diligence. So, I slowly became better than others in terms of how much I know, even if I never delivered on time. I heard from some sources that a few partners (other than my own) thought that I was good at my work.
I did finally burnout because I couldn't keep the hours after a few years. It didn't help that I had a substance abuse issue.
Speaking of that: please be cognizant that people with adhd have much higher chances of substance abuse and certain mental health issues (especially depression and anxiety). A high stress jobs will exacerbate any substance issue problems that you may already have. It certainly did for me. Took a long while to check my substance abuse issues. So, stop smoking, drinking, and doing drugs before you join work. It'll really help you in the long run.
Please also focus on your mental health. Some obvious, but critical, things you can do are: (a) get adequate exercise (physical and mental); and (b) ensure you eat nutritious food. There are studies which show that exercise and meditation greatly help people with adhd and B12 and Vit D deficiency cause depression / anxiety.
Unfortunately, I can't say I followed most of this in my 20s. The 30s have been kinder to me as I've figured myself better.
Thank you so much. Definitely helpful. The comorbidities point is so true and a great cause of the additional stress, because sometimes i can mask my issues but it comes at great cost. Really grateful for the insight from someone who's been there.
This was super helpful - rather like reading about myself.
I myself have never been properly diagnosed, but this this what I have suspected for some time. As a lawyer with a Tier 1 who lost focus all the time, I had to work incredibly long hours to get all my work done. Unfortunately I didn’t have a boss who understood this. Came very close to a burnout several times but somehow got through them. My focus issue is so pronounced that I am currently reading 4 books simultaneously (jumping from book to book after reading a couple of dozen pages) since I can’t seem to finish a single book at one go (to avoid the obvious question, let me state that I am on sabbatical).
Reading this thread has been quite eye-opening. I plan to get a proper test done soon. The other lifestyle advice on exercise and meditation is also greatly appreciated!
Am 6+ years into the profession. Law firm (was in the litigation team) was hard with undiagnosed ADHD. The self blame-guilt-shame cycle wrecked my mental health. I quit, took a (long) break, and joined a job that isn't too reliant on time-sensitive delivery of work. Happy to share that I'm in a much better place now with myself. Got diagnosed fairly recently. Medication helped. Law school also wasn't easy, but I was able to get by with a little help from my friends :) One consequence of ADHD is that one has to work harder to get the same amount of work done as anyone else. Find a training technique that works for you. I believe a nice career in a law firm is very much possible for someone with ADHD. It depends on how well you know yourself and your disorder (each person has specific symptoms which are unique). You've got to want to go to office without feeling frustrated every morning. Personally, if I wanted to go back to a law firm, I'd want to: (i) choose a team/practice where one's input is key and which isn't as dependent on time-sensitivity (quite a few corp/tax/tech advisory roles fit this bill) (ii) have as nice a work atmosphere as possible with an understanding boss and friendly colleagues (research on teams/partners before you apply). Not too sure if I'd disclose my disorder to work people though, I believe that's boundary-crossing. (iii) be kind to myself. I really really wish someone said this to me a long time ago. Would have avoided so much heartburn. PS: for those who were asking about how to get diagnosed - the most obvious symptoms are detected in childhood but many others continue well into adulthood. Many Indian medical professionals are still stuck in the 1990s when it was thought that ADHD is a "childhood" disorder. I was lucky to receive help and get diagnosed as an adult. Most of the big-name hospitals have fairly good psychiatrists (I went to one and they're pretty good). PPS: I'm realllyyy happy people are talking about this. Wondering how life would have been if we knew better ten years ago.
Thank you so much. It helps so much even to know other people understand. I would obviously never disclose at work because atleast in our Indian setup (largely everywhere but here even more so) I don't think there's any chance of people not seeing it as an excuse or whining
I was diagnosed in my penultimate year of law school too. I was frustrated with my academic performance, deep down I always knew I had it. Got it formally diagnosed by professionals in 4th year.
So for a person with ADHD I am in the worst possible profession and professional environment - a corporate transactional lawyer. I work in a Tier 1 firm, and have been working since PQE 2.
First 1.5 years of working were tough, and I soon hit burn out. It didn't help that my first boss was a passive aggressive toxic piece of work who expected me to lead transactions 6 months into the profession, and had no idea what mentorship was. I was always pulled up for making stupid mistakes mostly relating to attention to detail.
Was called all sorts of names: lazy, lacking intention, insincere, etc. and some other adjectives I'd rather not mention here, because they hurt too much even thinking about it now, even after all these years. I quit soon, and joined elsewhere.
Second job, the boss was a patient forgiving person. He knew how to mentor people, I was making lesser mistakes more i did things. And in an organised manner, though every now and then he would say that I need to pay more attention to detail. I had to work really hard to get things right. However, all good things must come to an end, he and I both changed cities, though same firm but now different teams.
Third stint has been going on for a while now, it is okay, nothing great.. I do okay work, nothing worth speaking about, in terms of transactions - but yeah, the more I do something, the less likely I will make the same mistake again. But god I hate transactions, they are so stressful, especially because I keep dealing with new types of transactions. AND I HATE steps plans, DD Reports, etc. But I shine where there is advisory work involved.
Other than meds, I am undergoing therapy, I also seem to have anxiety. Also, daily life is a struggle, as someone else mentioned in the comments - I too procrastinate and tend to work better in the nights, sleep is a luxury and consequently health is fucked.
But, if you get a nice non-toxic boss and team it'll be a dream and you will excel. I always treat juniors who make mistakes I did, when I was younger with kindness. Man I wish I had received some, instead of toxicity, gaslighting and judgments on my character.
Pro tip: always write down what you have to do, take copious notes, record instructions / calls if you must, be super organised.
This is seriously the best thread in LI at the moment. So much better than hearing corporate and competition types slug it out over work culture, politics, money and exits!
Wow I am so glad to have found this thread. I am still a law student, until recently I found it so difficult to focus. Argh the guilty procrastination really really made my life terrible and caused all sorts of problems the biggest one being self doubt. My class mates am so much more efficient than me, and are able to sit for long lectures and can multitask as well. I still have not been diagnosed with ADHD by a professional but I have checked so my websites and am so sure I have it. Unfortunately I can not afford to see a Psychologist neither do my parents believe in ADHD. I saved up my stipend and went once, and was told I have anxiety induced depression. I was given meds and they made my life so much better for a month. Now I am back to procrastination and hate my self for it. Believe it or not legally india is my biggest mode of procrastination. I am in my office as I am typing this while my co interns are busy working, so focused that it makes me jealous sometimes sigh. This thread gave me some peace.
Don't feel comfortable sharing exactly but if you look it up you'll be able to find
I grew up at a time when the education system and the workplace refused to acknowledge that such conditions could exist. You must get used to be called lazy, insincere, bizarre, mad, psycho, freak, etc. The list goes on. Thick skin to all of this is essential for survival. I feel for you, but the reality is that to survive you need to go through the following steps at breakneck speed, viz. victimhood, talking about it, being angry when no one really understands, hoards of internet reading, realising that it will always impact inter-personal aspects of your life, letting it impact your confidence and finally confronting what it really is to you. Once this is done you need to find the coping mechanism that your mind has already developed to address the condition and start enhancing that.
The hardest part is over for you which is law school or any form of school. You are now part of a profession where combining language with creative elements and out of the box thinking which come easier to you than others. Then you need to find what interests you, and if law is not what does then do not waste time - get out and get into a vocation which you feel inspired to be a part of. As someone who continued in law after finding out I had ADHD, here is what I can tell you works. Find your strengths, find which aspects of law you are good at, find your weaknesses and understand how to turn them into strengths or supplement them. Go back to your books and go through the uncomfortable process of studying again. Understand your patterns of attention and push the boundaries. Basically, set up a system which works for you. If you need to take time off to do this you should. A year off now to go through this process will only serve you well for the rest of your life.
Law firms in India are sadly merciless when it comes to dealing with issues like these since they are assembly line processes. If you need to achieve success in law firms you need to harness your unique skills and work twice as hard as everyone else. You should also seriously consider litigation. Join a small counsel chamber which gives you the ability to research and find unique solutions for legal cases, and implement them before a court. This provides you the opportunity to do a multitude of cases during the day and keeps you engaged while learning at a faster pace than at law firms (that is, you move away from assembly line processes to application of your unique skills). Once you gain this advantage you can always re-enter the law firm world.
What your condition gives you is a determination that is stronger than others; to get up in the face of adversity and flip it the finger and still come out on top. That is your secret tool as you move forward. Godspeed.
I'm a disputes lawyer at a T1.
Never diagnosed with ADHD (because I know that ADHD diagnosis is a grey area) but I'm pretty sure I've got it to some extent. The best way to manage it is to keep yourself motivated by making to do lists for everything and by breaking down tasks into small portions.
Also, exercise works wonders for ADHD.
This is something you can beat with your will power but you need to give it your best every minute of every day.
Here's a website I found helpful - https://thejdhd.com/adhd-library/adhd-101/
And please don't let a doctor convince you that you need any sort of medication to manage this. If you've made this far, you definitely have what it takes to go all the way.
If you've been prescribed meds, set alarms on your phone and take them on time. Order meds in advance. Don't miss follow-up appointments. You'll be fine!
It was just to give strength and convey and that ADHD is a manageable condition without medications. Keeping a to do list for everything, noting down every instruction and following your lists meticulously can help you overcome the difficulties caused by ADHD.
I know that many doctors are trigger happy and prescribe meds without properly understanding/ analysing a condition. Next time you walk into a doctor's cabin, please observe how everything they use is sponsered by some or the other pharma company and not even the hospital they work for (pens, notepads, etc.). It's a globally recognised and accepted phenomenon that the pharma industry is greatly influencing the healthcare industry. Hence, only a word of caution.
May have gotten carried away a little because ADHD really does becomes unmanageable sometimes by the time it's diagnosed/recognised. Glad that it wasn't so in your experience. For me, I couldn't manage without medication initially. I manage fine without meds now.
About the whole healthcare-pharma nexus, I get your point but I've found a second opinion from another doctor to be a less risky approach in case of doubts.
On a different note, this whole lawyer gig with its ethical grays has made me a little more sympathetic of doctors. It would be unfair to believe that a lawyer can retain their integrity but a doctor can't. Cheers!
And I agree, not all doctors are the same. There are many professional ones too.
Cheers! 👍
I am beginning to realize I might have it and in the process of getting diagnosed. I feel I survived so far only because I was litigating with a decent senior. Functioning alone is making all the difficulties come to surface.
W.r.t firm life, I procrastinate big time and I can't concentrate for more than 30-40 mins max. I chill during the day and get stuff done during the night. I haven't been reprimanded and I don't think anyone has issues with the quality of my work. I hate how I am ruining my health by working late into the night when I can get things done during the day. Working in a tier 2 firm and the work hours are not very demanding. If I was facing tough deadlines, things might be different.
If your diagnosis is a medical diagnosis and not self-diagnosed, get yourself a prescription for the best legally available meth - Ritalin; Vynase; Modafinil; or any other medication that suits you.
I know of many, not just in law firms, but the larger corporate landscape out there, that credit adhd for their success. It allows you to synthesize disparate ideas together, be quicker on your feet as a result, in all likelihood you are also quite inquisitive by design.
Adhd can be your edge in this world if you let it.
Also recommend you to read a few books about adhd.
Don't recommend these kinds of things man. These advices can be dangerous
I had to work really long hours to compensate for the chronic procrastination. It was particularly bad in the first few years, but fortunately, for some reason, my team didn't have as much work then and I had a great boss who believed that as long as I did my work, they didn't care whether it was done at 4am or 4pm. My boss was fine if I came to office late if it didn't impact my work. I couldn't have continued in a law firm environment without that boss and I'm still very grateful to them for their kindness.
I got a little better with time. Due to my severe procrastination, I actually learnt a lot of law (lol). I would rather figure a legal, commercial or tax issue linked to my diligence than summarise the heaps of garbage in a diligence. So, I slowly became better than others in terms of how much I know, even if I never delivered on time. I heard from some sources that a few partners (other than my own) thought that I was good at my work.
I did finally burnout because I couldn't keep the hours after a few years. It didn't help that I had a substance abuse issue.
Speaking of that: please be cognizant that people with adhd have much higher chances of substance abuse and certain mental health issues (especially depression and anxiety). A high stress jobs will exacerbate any substance issue problems that you may already have. It certainly did for me. Took a long while to check my substance abuse issues. So, stop smoking, drinking, and doing drugs before you join work. It'll really help you in the long run.
Please also focus on your mental health. Some obvious, but critical, things you can do are: (a) get adequate exercise (physical and mental); and (b) ensure you eat nutritious food. There are studies which show that exercise and meditation greatly help people with adhd and B12 and Vit D deficiency cause depression / anxiety.
Unfortunately, I can't say I followed most of this in my 20s. The 30s have been kinder to me as I've figured myself better.
I myself have never been properly diagnosed, but this this what I have suspected for some time. As a lawyer with a Tier 1 who lost focus all the time, I had to work incredibly long hours to get all my work done. Unfortunately I didn’t have a boss who understood this. Came very close to a burnout several times but somehow got through them. My focus issue is so pronounced that I am currently reading 4 books simultaneously (jumping from book to book after reading a couple of dozen pages) since I can’t seem to finish a single book at one go (to avoid the obvious question, let me state that I am on sabbatical).
Reading this thread has been quite eye-opening. I plan to get a proper test done soon. The other lifestyle advice on exercise and meditation is also greatly appreciated!
One consequence of ADHD is that one has to work harder to get the same amount of work done as anyone else. Find a training technique that works for you. I believe a nice career in a law firm is very much possible for someone with ADHD. It depends on how well you know yourself and your disorder (each person has specific symptoms which are unique). You've got to want to go to office without feeling frustrated every morning.
Personally, if I wanted to go back to a law firm, I'd want to:
(i) choose a team/practice where one's input is key and which isn't as dependent on time-sensitivity (quite a few corp/tax/tech advisory roles fit this bill)
(ii) have as nice a work atmosphere as possible with an understanding boss and friendly colleagues (research on teams/partners before you apply). Not too sure if I'd disclose my disorder to work people though, I believe that's boundary-crossing.
(iii) be kind to myself. I really really wish someone said this to me a long time ago. Would have avoided so much heartburn.
PS: for those who were asking about how to get diagnosed - the most obvious symptoms are detected in childhood but many others continue well into adulthood. Many Indian medical professionals are still stuck in the 1990s when it was thought that ADHD is a "childhood" disorder. I was lucky to receive help and get diagnosed as an adult. Most of the big-name hospitals have fairly good psychiatrists (I went to one and they're pretty good).
PPS: I'm realllyyy happy people are talking about this. Wondering how life would have been if we knew better ten years ago.
I was diagnosed in my penultimate year of law school too. I was frustrated with my academic performance, deep down I always knew I had it. Got it formally diagnosed by professionals in 4th year.
So for a person with ADHD I am in the worst possible profession and professional environment - a corporate transactional lawyer. I work in a Tier 1 firm, and have been working since PQE 2.
First 1.5 years of working were tough, and I soon hit burn out. It didn't help that my first boss was a passive aggressive toxic piece of work who expected me to lead transactions 6 months into the profession, and had no idea what mentorship was. I was always pulled up for making stupid mistakes mostly relating to attention to detail.
Was called all sorts of names: lazy, lacking intention, insincere, etc. and some other adjectives I'd rather not mention here, because they hurt too much even thinking about it now, even after all these years. I quit soon, and joined elsewhere.
Second job, the boss was a patient forgiving person. He knew how to mentor people, I was making lesser mistakes more i did things. And in an organised manner, though every now and then he would say that I need to pay more attention to detail. I had to work really hard to get things right. However, all good things must come to an end, he and I both changed cities, though same firm but now different teams.
Third stint has been going on for a while now, it is okay, nothing great.. I do okay work, nothing worth speaking about, in terms of transactions - but yeah, the more I do something, the less likely I will make the same mistake again. But god I hate transactions, they are so stressful, especially because I keep dealing with new types of transactions. AND I HATE steps plans, DD Reports, etc. But I shine where there is advisory work involved.
Other than meds, I am undergoing therapy, I also seem to have anxiety. Also, daily life is a struggle, as someone else mentioned in the comments - I too procrastinate and tend to work better in the nights, sleep is a luxury and consequently health is fucked.
But, if you get a nice non-toxic boss and team it'll be a dream and you will excel. I always treat juniors who make mistakes I did, when I was younger with kindness. Man I wish I had received some, instead of toxicity, gaslighting and judgments on my character.
Pro tip: always write down what you have to do, take copious notes, record instructions / calls if you must, be super organised.
Hope this keeps going!