# disability insurance and the bar

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disability-insurance-and-the-bar/182242>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [June 16, 2003, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disability-insurance-and-the-bar/182242 "2003-06-16T16:46:25Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![the\_Black\_Vegetable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8491ac/32.png) [@the\_Black\_Vegetable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_Black_Vegetable)\
**Post date:** [June 16, 2003, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disability-insurance-and-the-bar/182242/1 "2003-06-16T16:46:25Z")

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A friend of mine said that if someone has ever been on disability (particularly for a psychiatric condition), the bar will not admit them to be lawyers. This seems terribly unfair to me, not to mention illegal(?). What is the reasoning behind this attitude and what does the Americans with Disabilities Act have to say about it? I could understand if restrictions kept a person with limited vision or narcolepsy from flying a plane. But if someone has overcome a mental illness, why in heck could they not practice law (or any other profession for that matter)?

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**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\
**Post date:** [June 18, 2003, 6:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disability-insurance-and-the-bar/182242/2 "2003-06-18T06:47:04Z")

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It’s certainly not true for the New York bar. At their [site](http://www.nybarexam.org/) you can download a [request for accomodations](http://www.nybarexam.org/adaguide.pdf) where depending on your condition you can receive help with the bar exam. In the document it even specifies psychiatric disorders as permissible reasons for such a request.

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**Author:** ![lucwarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e19adc/32.png) [@lucwarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lucwarm)\
**Post date:** [June 18, 2003, 10:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disability-insurance-and-the-bar/182242/3 "2003-06-18T10:42:12Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by the Black Vegetable \*  
> \*\*A friend of mine said that if someone has ever been on disability (particularly for a psychiatric condition), the bar will not admit them to be lawyers. \*\*

Yeah, I think your friend got it wrong. I’m a member of 3 bars all of which require applicants to fill out lengthy and detailed background questionnaires. As I recall, none of them asked if you’d ever been on disability.

If you do have a mental problem that makes you unfit to practice law (whatever that means), then they’ll deny your application.