Prior to my transition, I had typically a seven-figure book of business and kept [two or] three lawyers busy. When I was in my prime, so to speak, I had an eight-figure book of business and kept many, many lawyers busy. Since I’ve transitioned, within about 12 months, my book of business went to zero and I had to scrape for billable hours.
— Danielle “DJ” Healey, a senior principal at Fish & Richardson in Houston, Texas, commenting on the negative impact her transition had on her book of business, during a Law.com roundtable discussion on discrimination in the legal profession. Healey is now incorporating contingency fee work into her patent litigation practice because “people without money are much less picky about their lawyers.”
Staci Zaretsky is a senior editor at Above the Law, where she’s worked since 2011. She’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on Twitter or connect with her on LinkedIn.