Stinson partners with life coach to assist lawyers with ADHD

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The legal field has made major strides in celebrating certain areas of diversity. One area of diversity that is less explored is neurodiversity. Minnesota Lawyer recently explored neurodiversity and the law with two individuals: Casey Dixon, owner of Dixon Life Coaching, and Krista Larson, director of well-being at Stinson.

Neurodiversity simply means differences in how brains work. Those who are neurodivergent, as opposed to those who are neurotypical, process information differently than others. One example of neurodivergence is attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). While it was once thought to be a condition that children, specifically boys, had, more adults are discovering that they have the condition.

Attorneys are not exempt from this trend. If anything, they are significantly more likely to be neurodivergent than the general population. Around 4.5% of U.S. adults have ADHD. However, a landmark ABA study done on mental health showed that 12.5% of lawyers report ADHD.

There is no research or statistics surrounding late diagnosis of adult ADHD, Dixon notes. However, Dixon says that research and personal testimony support the notion that people who have high educational attainment and a high IQ tend to correlate with a late diagnosis.” Dixon says that, in running her groups for lawyers with ADHD over the past five years, about 95% were diagnosed after age thirty-five.

Women are much more likely to be undiagnosed than men. As Dixon explains, this is because the condition can materialize differently. Women are often socialized to be polite, so they may have been told to mask their hyperactivity. People in the BIPOC communities or other marginalized groups are also significantly less likely to have been diagnosed with ADHD, something that is not surprising to Dixon given the dearth of mental health resources provided to those communities.

Dixon founded Dixon Life Coaching in 2005. In her practice, Dixon coaches and advises people who have ADHD who are highly educated and extremely smart, so that they can develop the tools to work with their ADHD and harness their unique abilities to excel in their professional lives. Dixon has a special focus on lawyers.

Stinson LLP is collaborating with Dixon to arrive at a deeper understanding of how neurodiversity impacts personal and professional success. Larson, who is director of well-being, has partnered with Dixon to situate neurodivergence into the firm’s broader initiatives for attorney well-being.

“We are seeking to partner with an external expert, somebody who not only knows the intricacies of neurodiversity conditions like ADHD, but knows about them within the legal profession,” Larson explained. “There are some unique nuances to how this condition shows up within a profession such as ours.”

This is especially important because of the prevalence of ADHD in the legal field. Dixon explained that people with ADHD are naturally drawn to the law because of their neurodivergence.

“What we do know about highly educated, high-performing achievers with ADHD is that … they tend to be really creative: problem-solving, lateral-thinking, making connections that other people miss,” said Dixon. “Those are really, really strong assets for attorneys.”

“In general, [people with ADHD] have a very high work ethic. They are willing to put in extra time, extra thought, extra energy for a good work product or a good client result. They’re motivated by things that are deadline driven, which is always a plus in the legal industry,” Dixon added.

The pace of legal work also is attractive to people with ADHD, Dixon said.

“People with ADHD really do well in a high-stress environment,” Dixon said. “It doesn’t mean that stress can’t backfire and, if it becomes unmanaged, it can turn out to be not such a great environment. They crave excitement and stimulation, and the legal profession can offer that high-pace, high-pressure environment that they often find appealing.”

Dixon also said that those with ADHD have a natural sense of justice that makes legal practice appealing.

“People with ADHD tend to have a heightened sense of justice. They care deeply about what’s right, what’s wrong, what’s fair,” Dixon stated. “They have this ability to scrutinize things. They are always looking out into the world and judging, assessing, and seeing what can be made better. They tend to be much more sensitive to things outside. As they grow, they become more sensitive to injustice.”

Legal work, also, can have a very positive effect on a neurodivergent person’s brain. “One of the things that gets their brains working more efficiently is anything that lights up their intellect and their curiosity,” Dixon said.

However, those with ADHD can face significant challenges as lawyers. The condition can make it more challenging to do their jobs, they may struggle with a mental health challenge, and they encounter people who simply do not understand what neurodivergence is.

Dixon and Larson say that raising awareness about neurodivergence is one of the most impactful things that the legal field can do.

“We are really starting to bring awareness to these issues and fostering conversation around neurodiversity,” said Larson. That awareness, Larson explains, not only benefits those with ADHD but those without. “It is important for people who are neurotypical to recognize that it is very likely that they work with people who are neuroatypical and are dealing with some of these conditions, and hopefully, reduce some of the stigma over time.”

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