Latest / The Diversity Career Podcast with Fexingo: Inclusion, Equity, and Underrepresented Professionals / How EY Made Blind Lawyers a Career Asset
Transcript
- Lucas: So Luna, you know that story about the blind lawyer who can spot errors in a contract faster than anyone else on the team? Luna: I haven't heard that one. What's the trick—superhuman hearing? Lucas: Close. It's screen-reading software running at four times the speed a sighted person could read. He listens to the document, and his brain just processes it faster. That's the story behind EY's legal practice, and it's a case study in how a firm turned a perceived disadvantage into a career advantage. Luna: I'm intrigued. How did EY even get to that point? Lucas: It starts with a hiring decision back in 2018. EY's legal arm, which is relatively new compared to the Big Four accounting side, was bringing on lawyers for contract review. HR flagged an applicant who was blind, and honestly, the first instinct was hesitation. How would they manage the document-heavy workflow? Would they need a full-time assistant? The usual assumptions. Luna: So what changed their mind? Lucas: The candidate, a guy named David, came to the interview with a demo. He showed them how he used a screen reader combined with a Braille display to navigate complex contracts. He'd already reviewed a sample contract they'd sent him, and he'd flagged a clause that even the senior partner missed. That was the turning point. They realized they weren't accommodating a limitation—they were bringing in a specialized skill. Luna: And now they've built a whole pipeline around that. Lucas: Exactly. After David's success, EY formalized a program called 'Visionary Legal Careers.' They partner with law schools and disability employment organizations to recruit law students who are blind or visually impaired. But the key isn't just hiring—it's creating a trajectory. They have a structured mentorship program, pairing each new hire with a senior lawyer, and they've customized the entire workflow. Luna: Customized how? I imagine screen readers can only do so much with complex legal formatting. Lucas: Right, and that's where the firm had to make real changes. They invested in document templates that are accessible—consistent heading structures, proper alt-text for embedded tables. They also developed an internal tool that converts legacy contracts into a format screen readers can handle smoothly. And they set a policy that all client-facing documents must be accessible by default, which benefits everyone, not just the blind lawyers. Luna: So it's not just a one-off accommodation, it's a systemic change. Lucas: Precisely. And the results speak for themselves. The blind lawyers on the team have a contract-review accuracy rate that's twenty percent higher than the average, and they're often faster. One of them, Sarah, told me she can review a fifty-page agreement in under an hour, while her sighted colleagues typically take two. That's a competitive edge in a business where speed and accuracy are billable. Luna: That's a strong business case. But I imagine there are still cultural hurdles. Lucas: There were, and they're interesting. The first challenge was getting the rest of the team comfortable. Some lawyers didn't know how to interact—should they offer to read documents aloud? Should they avoid saying 'look at this'? EY ran disability awareness training, but the more effective move was just putting David and Sarah in the room. Within a few months, colleagues forgot the visual impairment and just saw them as the people who catch the errors. Luna: Have they had to adjust their technology stack beyond screen readers? Lucas: Yes, they've integrated with AI. There's a tool that scans contracts and flags potentially problematic clauses, and it outputs in an audio format. But the real innovation is how they've trained the AI to work with the screen reader—it summarizes sections in a way that's easier to parse by ear. That's a design choice that emerged from the blind lawyers' feedback, and now it's used by everyone because it speeds up initial review. Luna: So the accessibility features are becoming the team's superpower. Lucas: That's the thesis. EY's leadership has been upfront that this isn't charity—it's a talent strategy. They've published data internally showing that the blind lawyers' team has one of the highest client satisfaction scores in the practice. When a client gets a contract reviewed quickly and accurately, they don't care who did it. So now, when they have an open legal role, they actively consider blind candidates first, because the track record is so strong. Luna: And what about career progression? Are they stuck in contract review, or can they move up? Lucas: That's a great question, and it's the part that often gets overlooked. EY has made a point of creating a real career ladder. David is now a senior manager, and he leads a team of five, two of whom are also blind. They have the same performance metrics as anyone else, and they're promoted based on those. But they also have a mentor who is a partner, and that partner has a, well, I guess you'd call it a 'visibility' role—making sure the blind lawyers get the high-profile assignments that lead to promotion. Luna: So it's about access to the informal networks that often determine who gets ahead. Lucas: Exactly. The firm realized that a formal program isn't enough if you're not in the room when the interesting work is handed out. So they created a system where each blind lawyer is explicitly included in staffing decisions. The talent team flags them for cases that are complex and high-visibility, not just the routine stuff. That's a deliberate counter to the unconscious bias that might otherwise sideline them. Luna: Are there any challenges in client interactions? I'd imagine some clients might be surprised. Lucas: There's an initial surprise, sure. But EY prepares the client in advance. They'll mention that the lead associate on their matter is blind, and they frame it as a strength—the same way they'd highlight someone's language skills. And once the client sees the work, it becomes a non-issue. In fact, a few clients have told EY they specifically request the blind lawyers because they know the documents will be spotless. Luna: That's a powerful testament. What's the broader lesson for other employers? Lucas: The biggest lesson is to stop thinking in terms of 'accommodation' and start thinking in terms of 'asset.' EY didn't just check a box; they redesigned their workflow, and it made the whole team better. They also didn't assume they knew what a blind lawyer could do—they listened to the candidates and let them define the path. That's a humility that most organizations struggle with. Luna: And it's not just about the technology, it's about the culture. Lucas: Right. The technology is useless if the culture isn't ready. EY spent time onboarding the team, but the real shift came from seeing results. Once people saw that Sarah could out-review them, the skepticism vanished. Now, the firm is looking at how to apply the same model to other roles—tax, consulting, even advisory. They're asking, 'What other skills have we been overlooking because of bias?' Luna: That's a great question to end on. Before we wrap, Lu, I know we've talked about the show being ad-free—and I'm glad we're not interrupting this conversation with some sponsor read. Lucas: Yeah, we keep it that way on purpose. If you appreciate that, you can support the show at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. It's a simple way to keep these conversations going without ads. Luna: I've bought you a coffee before, and it's worth it. But back to EY—what's next for them in this space? Lucas: They're expanding the program to other disability groups. They've already started recruiting lawyers who are deaf and hard of hearing, and they're working with a consulting firm to redesign their interview process to be more accessible—things like providing live captioning for video interviews and allowing extra time for written tests. Luna: So they're systematizing the approach beyond blindness. Lucas: Exactly. The blindness program was a proof of concept. Now they're applying the same principles—asset-based thinking, workflow redesign, and cultural readiness—to other underrepresented groups. It's a model that any company can adapt, regardless of industry. Luna: And it's a reminder that diversity isn't just about fairness—it's about performance. Lucas: That's the takeaway. When you remove barriers, you unlock potential that others can't see. And in a competitive market like legal services, that's a real edge.