Disability and Inclusion in the Legal Profession: What attorneys need to know

William D. Goren | William D. Goren, J.D., LL.M. LLC

William D. Goren, Esq., of William D. Goren, J.D., LL.M. LLC in Decatur, GA, has been dealing with the ADA as an Attorney since 1990. His law and consulting practice, https://www.understandingtheada.com, as well as his blog, Understanding the ADA, (an ABA Top 100 for five consecutive years during the last five years of the award, 2014-2018), all focus on understanding the ADA so that the client understands what it means to comply with that law and related laws. In particular, he provides consulting, counseling, representation, and training services involving compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and related laws- such as the Air Carrier Access Act and the Fair Housing Act-, among others.

Mr. Goren also brings a deep, personal understanding of what it means to have a disability, equipping him with exceptional insight on how the ADA actually works. He is deaf with a congenital bilateral hearing loss of 70–120+ decibels, but functions entirely in the hearing world thanks to hearing aids, Bluetooth technology, automatic speech recognition, and lip-reading. For reasons independent of his deafness, he also uses voice dictation technology to access his computer. He is also a frequent presenter, a trained mediator, a FINRA arbitrator (Chairperson eligible), and an arbitrator on the CPR employment panel. Finally, he is the author of Understanding the ADA, now in its 4th edition (ABA 2013), and numerous other articles on the rights of persons with disabilities. He is and has been a member of various committees of the American Bar Association, including Legal Technology Resource Center Board (2017-2023); ABA Law Practice Section Client Development and Marketing Committee; ABA Law Practice Section Ethics and Professionalism Committee and the ABA’s Law Practice Section DEI committee.

He is also a member of various committees of the Federal Bar Association, including: the Federal Bar Association (FBA) Diversity and Inclusion committee; the FBA’s Civil Rights section and its Governing Board; FBA’s Civil Rights Amicus committee; and since 2022, the Chair of the FBA’s Disability Best Practices Working Group. In the first year of the Disability Best Practices Working Group, it formulated an accessibility manual for the FBA and its chapters. In the second year of the committee, it will be bringing out an accessibility manual that federal courts can use to help ensure that their courtrooms are accessible for persons with disabilities. He is also a member of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Bar Association. He has an A.B. from Vassar College, a J.D. from University of San Diego School of Law, and was one of the first in the entire country to receive the LL.M. in Health Law, in his case from DePaul University College of Law. Interesting fact: He trained his miniature poodle to be a hearing dog while he practices virtually.

Katherine Earle Yanes | Kynes, Markman & Felman, P.A

Katherine Earle Yanes concentrates her practice in the areas of criminal defense, appeals, and postconviction relief. In 1997, she graduated from Stetson University College of Law, magna cum laude, as valedictorian of her class. Following law school, Ms. Yanes served as a law clerk to Chief Judge Elizabeth A. Kovachevich, United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida. Since 1999, she has successfully represented defendants at the trial, appellate, and postconviction phases of criminal litigation in federal and state courts, as well as in government investigations. Ms. Yanes has served as President of the Tampa Bay Chapter of the Federal Bar Association, President of the Hillsborough Association for Women Lawyers, Chair of the Hillsborough County Bar Association’s Trial and Litigation Section, Chair of the Hillsborough County Bar Association’s Appellate Practice Section, and Journal Editor of the Florida Association for Women Lawyers.

Katherine Earle Yanes was awarded the 2021 Hillsborough Association for Women Lawyers’ President’s Award in appreciation of outstanding service to HAWL. Ms. Yanes was also awarded the 2017 Florida Bar President’s Pro Bono Service Award for the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit for her outstanding pro bono service and the 2017 Hillsborough Association for Women Lawyers Pro Bono Award. She was also awarded the 2017 Woman Lawyer of Achievement Award for excellence and integrity in her field by The Florida Bar’s Young Lawyers Division. Additionally, in 2015, the Hillsborough County Bar Association Criminal Law Section awarded Ms. Yanes the Marcelino “Bubba” Huerta Award for pro bono service and the pursuit of equal justice, and the Tampa Bay Chapter of the Federal Bar Association recognized Ms. Yanes as Mentor of the Year. In 2010, Ms. Yanes was given the President’s Award by the Hillsborough Association for Women Lawyers for her outstanding service to the organization.

Steven R. Miller | U.S. Department of Energy

Steven Miller is a Deputy Assistant General Counsel for Environment in the Office of the Assistant General Counsel for the Environment, in the Office of General Counsel at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), in Washington, D.C. and is the Acting Co-Chair of the SOAR ERG for persons with disabilities and everyone else.

In his GC role, Steve is responsible for providing advice and counsel to various DOE offices on environmental conflict resolution, uranium mill tailings, remedial action, CERCLA, including natural resource damage issues, long-term stewardship and other environmental matters. He assisted in the drafting of provisions of the 1986 CERCLA amendments and the subsequent executive order delegating the President’s authorities to the various federal agencies and received an award for that effort. He also has served as a mentor to DOE employees, law students, college and high school students as part of various DOE-sponsored mentoring and internship programs. Steve has served with the Department of Energy and its predecessor agency, the Energy Research and Development Administration, since 1977.

In addition to his DOE responsibilities, Steve is also the Chair of the Federal Career Services Division and Immediate Past Chair of the Senior Lawyers Division of the Federal Bar Association, where he has had numerous leadership roles. He also serves on the Board of Governors of the D.C. Bar. Steve holds a J.D. degree from the New York University School of Law, a M.U.P. (Master of Urban Planning) degree from the New York University Graduate School of Public Administration (now Wagner School), a B.A., summa cum laude, phi beta kappa, from New York University’s University College of Arts and Sciences, and is also a graduate of the OPM SES Candidate Development Program.

Betty Siegel | The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts

Ms. Betty Siegel, J.D. is the Director of the Office of VSA and Accessibility at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts she is also the Founder, Access Advisory Group, LLC

Ms. Siegel believes making cultural experiences and spaces inclusive of people with disabilities of all ages is an essential civil, cultural, and human right.

An innovative expert in disability, arts, and cultural practices, she has been the Director of the Kennedy Center’s Office of Accessibility and VSA for over 20 years where she has the privilege of working at the national and international level to improve and support equal rights to engage and participate in the arts for people with disabilities of all ages. She delivers lectures and training around the world. Her JD is from the Columbus School of Law and in 2021 she founded the Access Advisory Group a company providing bespoke accessibility consulting and training.

Session I – Best Practices for Disability Inclusion in the Legal Profession | 11:00am – 12:00pm

• Why disability matters | 11:00am – 11:20am
• Best practices for disability inclusion | 11:20am – 11:40am
• Understanding the mindset of a person with a disability when it comes to integrating into an organization | 11:40am – 12:00pm

Break | 12:00pm – 12:10pm

Session II – Navigating the Employment Landscape for Individuals with Disabilities | 12:10pm – 1:10pm

• Understanding disability rights and accommodations in legal practice | 12:10pm – 12:25pm
• Overcoming barriers to entry and advancement for lawyers with disabilities | 12:25pm – 12:40pm
• Disability Employee Resource Group and Related Work | 12:40pm – 12:55pm
• Best practices for creating accessible legal services and workplaces | 12:55pm – 1:10pm