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Working in a law firm with (diagnosed) ADHD isn't easy.( ꩜ ᯅ ꩜;) Even with medication, hitting strict deadlines is still a challenge for me.
I just finished a year-long internship where I was promised a full-time role. Unfortunately, HR let me know they are rescinding the offer after finding out about my diagnosis.My actual work has always been rated excellent, but I do occasionally need a little flexibility with deadlines as a medical accommodation (╥﹏╥). I'm hoping to connect with partners who run neuro-inclusive teams and value both mental health and strong work output.
I’d love to share my resume if anyone's hiring!!!. FYI, I’m a Class of 2026 student at a Top 3 NLU with internship experience in B&F and Projects. I'd also love to hear similar experiences, hmu! (＞ω＜)
On a more serious note, a PA at a T1 firm I worked at (has been promoted twice and is a partner now) dismissed ADHD as an excuse for laziness when I brought it up casually to test waters. Since then I didn't tell anyone about my diagnosis and had my own struggles privately till I found a couple of friends who had the same condition.
Unfortunately Indian workplaces are not educated or sophisticated enough to make accomodation for diagnoses like ADHD and law firms are even behind the curve unless you have a partner and seniors who understand what it is. This sadly, is a pipe dream because even if the partner understands, you as an A1 will rarely be working with a partner and there is a great chance you will end up with ahes. The DEI shit law firms drum up is pure optics. Nobody follows it. When the deadline looms large, they don't care, you are just a mazdoor to them.
You focus on you. Make yourself the priority. Speak with your therapist about using CBT based strategies to improve your working style and keep a journal. Any instruction, any deadline, any deliverable, keep writing it down. Make it a habit to write everything down and tick it off when completed.
If your senior says, hey send this email, and you are free and can send it right away, write it down nevertheless and tick it off. This gives your ADHD brain a sense of achievement. Any work related thought pops into your head (e.g., "I don't understand this, I need to get clarity", "I don't know how to incorporate this this term sheet point, let me get back to this later", etc.) - write all these down. Make this a habit and you will find it will help immensely.
Next suggestion I can give you is to incorporate excercise into your daily life. At least 3 times a week, 30 minutes per session is the minimum. You will find excercise will help immensely. Tie it up with a good clean diet, eat timely and sleep and wake up at fixed times as much as you can. Avoid alcohol. These are all uncle advises but trust me they work for ADHDers. Speaking from personal experience here.
Please note, you should always, I repeat always make these strategies with your therapist and what I have said are tips and tricks that I found useful. You cannot go without discussing this side of your treatment with the therapist. Just medication won't help.
When it works, ADHD can be a friend for a law firm associate. But it will take you years of fine-tuning that and finding the strategy and workflow that will fit your neurodivergent brain.
All the best, keep your diagnosis to yourself, work like crazy on learning various CBT based tools or strategies to help with your work. Choosing a less intense practice area (but one that you will still fine interesting) will also help.
Neurodivergents have thrived in this team
Since college, I had my doubts about my ADHD, but as soon as I started working, I had to get it diagnosed, and I have been on medication (stimulant and non-stimulant). My work significantly improved, I feel like the fog has cleared up, and whatnot. Although after getting diagnosed, I asked my doc if i should disclose this at my workplace, he asked me not to because, from his experience, his patients faced some or the other kind of discrimination after disclosure of their diagnosis. On a lighter note, he asked me to disclose it if I start working for a US or EU-based firm.
But apart from this, do let me know if I can help you in any way with managing symptoms and work.
(1) Never disclose to anyone and especially your employer that you are neurodivergent. Globally, there's a lot of stigma associated with being ND, in India its 10x more. I understand that it might feel suffocating and you feel you have to work twice as hard to do the same task a NT does, but currently India hasn't progressed to the extent that it can welcome NDs in the workplace. It hurt to say this but there's nothing you can do but suck it up and "work harder"
(2) Try taking up work that relates to any of your special interests. I know many NDs in law firms who absolutely crush their job because they're engaged in work that they absolutely love. Personally, I never found an interest in subjects taught in law school. GenCorp was a practice area I found to be extremely boring and intellectually dry and that translated into shoddy work being submitted. Currently, I've found a niche to my liking to the extent that I've been able to match associates on aspects of work quality. I know of another ND in a tier 2 firm who loves writing and utilised it in drafting memos, complaints, petitions. He's loved by the team for it.
There's a team in Trilegal Bangalore that's filled with NDs, they don't interact much as a bunch but the team is well-known for the work it deals in.