Want to be able to help

[JoAnne Wheeler]

I am a lawyer by trade - have been for 40 years - created a large private practice over the years. Because of my transition, my law-partner tells me that he is not going to practice law with someone like me - he says that people will no longer come to me for representation.

My gender therapists have asked me all kinds of legal questions regarding legal issues pertaining to the trans community. Up until now, I never really looked in to the law that pertains to our trans community.

Well, I have started to collect as much legal information as I can find, not only to answer many of my own personal issues, but also to help provide legal information to the trans community.

Once I get a little further along in my transition and see what I am going to be doing job/career wise, I would like to be able to provide legal counseling to the trans community - especially here in Kentucky, but a lot of this applies nationwide.

Is this type of service something that is needed in our community - or is this just a pipe dream ?

Maybe I could call it "ASK A TRANSSEXUAL LAWYER"

JoAnne Wheeler Bland

[Elizabeth 66]

Sounds to me like you have your first case, discrimination towards you self by your law partner! i cant see why you wouldn't be needed though i bet there are loads of cases that should be brought to justice concerning the trans society

[DizzyRose]

I am a lawyer by trade - have been for 40 years - created a large private practice over the years. Because of my transition, my law-partner tells me that he is not going to practice law with someone like me - he says that people will no longer come to me for representation.

My gender therapists have asked me all kinds of legal questions regarding legal issues pertaining to the trans community. Up until now, I never really looked in to the law that pertains to our trans community.

Well, I have started to collect as much legal information as I can find, not only to answer many of my own personal issues, but also to help provide legal information to the trans community.

Once I get a little further along in my transition and see what I am going to be doing job/career wise, I would like to be able to provide legal counseling to the trans community - especially here in Kentucky, but a lot of this applies nationwide.

Is this type of service something that is needed in our community - or is this just a pipe dream ?

Maybe I could call it "ASK A TRANSSEXUAL LAWYER"

JoAnne Wheeler Bland

Wow, your business partner sounds awful! If he wants to sever your business partnership, I'd say good riddance, but make sure he's the one stuck holding any of the burden for doing so. I mean it IS he who wants out, right? I don't understand why he thinks people would no longer come to you for representation. Even if you intended to stay in practice with him, how would anyone (aside from current clients) even know?

Aside from that, I think it's a really good idea. I believe you'd definitely get some clients.

[AllieSF]

I do not know about the overall need (volume and number of clients) for an attorney with specific transsexual legal issues expertise. However, two weeks ago I meet a lesbian attorney that provided support to the whole LGBT community through some organization in New York City. They are probably associated with worldwide human rights activities. She told me that there were several around the nation and internationally. It appeared that her organization was a non-profit type. I recommend that you do a Google search, or just have one of your legal assistants do a web search (general and through all the legal reference sources). You may be surprised what you discover and may find an interesting home for yourself and your talents, including personal experiences. Good luck.

[JoAnne Wheeler]

I really think that I would like to be the first Transgendered Lawyer who is actively practicing in Kentucky - and even in my small conservative community that is about 40 miles south of Louisville.

My law-partner keeps telling me that no one will get a transgendered lawyer to represent them in our community. At 65, I feel that I am too old to go out and start all over.

My law-partner is ashamed of me and is only concerned with how this affects his reputation and standing in the community.

I AM NOT ASHAMED of the woman that I am and I am not ashamed of confronting those narrow minded people who populate our little community. I still need to earn a living - this transitioning is getting expensive.

JoAnne Wheeler Bland

[Sheila]

Joanne, I would not give a hoot if my legal representative was TG, or a Martian, with Yellow Diamonds and Red stripes, so long as they were good at what they did, and would represent me to the best of their ability. Maybe you need a new partner and add on TG rights lawyer as another service you do ............ good luck

[Karen564]

[SIZE=2]I think that would be great for you to put all your years of experience to use...we need it..[/SIZE]

[SIZE=2]Ever hear of GLAD.?[/SIZE]
[SIZE=2]http://www.glad.org/[/SIZE]

[SIZE=2]It's what we have in New England for us that need to seek legal advise on many matters...[/SIZE]

[SIZE=2]I don't know how far their arm reaches out to others in the Country, but they may be looking to expand, or you could start your own organization or services to cover your own region of the country.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=2]Whatever you do, I wish you great success...[/SIZE]

[janelle]

Wish you were here in Wisconsin & I could afford to pay you. Oh well maybe someday you will get others to fight for our rights. Good luck dear.

Hugs................................Janelle

[Misty is Kindafem]

I still need to earn a living - this transitioning is getting expensive.

JoAnne,

I think there is plenty of people that would hire a TG lawyer. Maybe not in your immediate area but you could certainly have your office there and serve clients all over the country.

The internet will allow you plenty of billable hours while you chat or even video conference with your clients. I think it's a wonderful idea.

I wish my career was so easily redirected. How I would make a living after going full time is my toughest question.

-Misty

[luvSophia]

I can see several questions that come up from this. The first is that if your partnership is dissolved would you be able to take your clients with you? And if yes, then how many of your current clients will follow you to your own practice? It is a pretty safe bet that even if it were possible to take your client list not all of them would be willing to go along. Would there be any sort of non-compete agreement?

The second is are you looking to specialize in trans* law? How large do you think your client base would be? I suspect that if this is how you want to specialize you would be better off broadening your appeal to the wider LGBT community as a whole with an emphasis on trans law. Just be aware that there are a significant number of LGBT people that do not particularly like us either, especially among the older gay males and second generation feminist lesbians.

How much legal counseling could you do across state lines? I do not know much about licensing (or whatever it is called for lawyers) but I am pretty sure that at a minimum you would not be able to argue a case in court unless you had passed the bar exam for that particular state.

And like Karen said, have you given any thought to contacting one of the larger LBGT rights organizations such as GLAAD or HRC?

[Gerrijerry]

yes the need is very real and large. there is also a need for counselors that understand and can help the girls not read back from a book 50 years old.

[Kaitlyn Michele]

if you are looking at "trans law" , your issue is going to be the limited clientele and perhaps more importantly the limited resources of your clientele...

also, in many cases there are local and state laws in play...

the best area is probably employment law where there may be some paydays' but thats a long slog to get to a point where there is a case...helping folks change their names is a good idea but again, state by state its different...and many people do that without a lawyer.

what folks often don't think about is this....if you have the $$, almost ANYBODY will take your business...if you don't then the folks helping you will not be able to make a living off your business without some support...

if you are looking to make a business out of it, i am sorry to disagree with other posters...i don't believe there is a model there...

if you're a good lawyer and you are trans, you should still be getting clients, but i can imagine there are closeminded folks that will drop you...replacing them with trans clients is a worthwhile idea

[Traci Elizabeth]

Actually I think that is a wonderful idea and even though you are a practicing attorney in Kentucky, I am sure there are a lot of legal matters and legal advice/counseling you can offer nationwide to our community.

I for one am going to keep you in mind for the future. Perhaps you ought to take some time to formulate all the possible services you could provide and a fixed-fee schedule for those services.

I am sure that you realize that most TS have limited funds and I think you would want to adjust your fees accordingly if you are sincere in wanting to "help" your sisters.

But bottom line, that is a great idea that I think can become very successful as you get your services known to the community.

[Misty is Kindafem]

I am sure that you realize that most TS have limited funds

Why in the world would you say that?
Can you cite a study?

I can't imagine this is true, but I'm interested in your reasoning.

-Misty

[Kaitlyn Michele]

Misty, you are kidding right?

"The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services estimates that the number of homeless and runaway youth ranges from 575,000 to 1.6 million per year. ..." 3

"Our analysis of the available research suggests that between 20 percent and 40 percent of all homeless youth identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGBT). 4

Given that between 3 percent and 5 percent of the U.S. population identifies as lesbian, gay or bisexual, it is clear that LGBT youth experience homelessness at a disproportionate rate. ..."

"Transgender youth are disproportionately represented in the homeless population. More generally, some reports indicate that one in five transgender individuals need or are at risk of needing homeless shelter assistance. However, most shelters are segregated by birth sex, regardless of the individual's gender identity, and homeless transgender youth are even ostracized by some agencies that serve their LGB peers." 5

"In a study completed by the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN), 90 percent of transgender youth in schools reported feeling unsafe, compared with 46 percent of gay or bisexual males and 41 percent of lesbian and bisexual female students. 6

"Additionally, transgender youth are even more marginalized than their gay, lesbian, and bisexual (GLB) peers, often feeling unwelcome at agencies that serve GLB youth. 7

In California...
"Transgender respondents are twice as likely to be living below the poverty line of $10,400 when compared to the
general population.
1 in 5 respondents have been homeless since they first identified as transgender.

From the National Center for Transgender Equality
"There are social costs to transitioning. Because discrimination is widespread, transsexuals
face a great deal of prejudice. This may mean losing a job or career, including their source of income, or not being able to find a job at all. Under- and unemployment
in the transgender community is many times the national average. People may have to go from well-paying stable jobs to minimum wage work, seasonal employment or unemployment. This impacts their ability to support themselves and their families."

In my small personal sample..
I know I lost my job, my 2 best friends lost their jobs, her best friend was a civil engineer and now is a grocery store clerk.

About half my therapy group is unemployed

Plus transitioning is incredibly expensive and not usually covered by insurance (altho this is getting better)..

[JoAnne Wheeler]

I probably gave the wrong impression that ALL I wanted to do was practice trans law. That is certainly not the case - I doubt that I could make a living just doing that. I just want to add that to the types of cases and clientele that I represent.

Also, a Kentucky lawyer can only practice in Kentucky. You have to be licensed in the state where you practice. I do not intend to "ACTIVELY" practice in states other than Kentucky - it just means that I would not be going to Court for someone in another state.

My practice has always been about trying to help those who are hurting and have no one else who will represent them - I see this as an extension of that type of practice.

I have talked with other lawyers in the city (town) where I live and they have told me that they think that people would come to me because of my past reputation, experience, knowledge and especially success at winning cases.

My law-partner thinks that people will only think that I am some sick, pervert, homosexual that is to be kept away from. He says that our community is far too conservative and fundamentalist to accept "someone like you". Maybe he's right. I don't know. I just know that at 65, it is very hard to generate enough enthusiam and energy to move to a whole new location and try to start over - if I was 45 or even 55, it might be different.

Does any of this make any sense to anyone - or should I just crawl down in a hole and try to live in stealth.

JoAnne Wheeler Bland

[Traci Elizabeth]

Kaitlyn Michele,

I could not have stated it any better than that.

There is also a lot of related statistics and relevant information from the British Columbia & city of Vancouver Transcend Transgender Support & Education Society and Vancouver Coastal Health’s Transgender Health Program available on the web.

[Traci Elizabeth]

JoAnne,

Even though you can't "practice" law in other states because you are not licensed to do so, does that prevent you from giving legal advice or assisting in preparing legal documents that might be related to TS folks?

[CharleneT]

I think there are two questions, I'll deal with one. Being a lawyer and being "out" as trans is likely to be a hard. I have a friend here who is living full time and is a lawyer. She had a great practice before, doing corporate work. 90% disappeared in the first 8 months after she went full time. She then shut down the firm and has moved to Minneapolis. She has not started back up there yet.

Whether it can work for you, I think it depends a lot on the type of law you practice. Corporate, probably not going to, it is still a good old boys club and TS folks scare them. Family law ? very unlikely... Criminal - naw for sure. Estate planning, now there I imagine is one where your status probably won't matter. SocSec law etc... hard to say, but should be ok. You can see the pattern, where public reputation matters and presentation is an issue, it is probably going to be hard.

I applaud your plan and hope that it works out great !

I also agree with Kaitlyn that the trans community, as a client base, isn't likely to work out too well due to the whole money issue. BUT who knows ??

[KarenCDFL]

The only reason your partner is ashamed is because he is ignorant, and how good could an ignorant lawyer be?

You would be much better off hanging up your own shingle!

I would think that as an Attorney with your background, you would have more business than you could singly handle after the word gets out!

The best of luck!

[Schatten Lupus]

No doubt such a service isn't just needed, it is long overdue and very much needed.
Part of the reason I am wanting to go into psychology is to push the trans issue into the public light, and have the credintials to do so. Perhaps others will also aid in our struggles, and we will have the protection we need. It would be better and ideal if we had the acceptance we deserve, but for now just an organization to go to over discrimination would be suffice.

[Frances]

He says that our community is far too conservative and fundamentalist to accepy "someone like you". Maybe he's right. I don't know.

We are so far behind still in terms of civil rights or acceptance. "Someone like you" used to be uttered with impunity about jewish and black people. What is so bad about us, that people should stay clear and feel free to declare their biggotry to our faces?

[Misty is Kindafem]

Misty, you are kidding right?

Nope

In my small personal sample..
I know I lost my job, my 2 best friends lost their jobs, her best friend was a civil engineer and now is a grocery store clerk.

About half my therapy group is unemployed

Plus transitioning is incredibly expensive and not usually covered by insurance (altho this is getting better)..

Well then, clearly I was uninformed and now I know why in the world you would say that.

In my defense, I DID say I was interested in your reasoning ;-)

This information was enlightening and just cements my resolve to make post transition career plans the number one priority.

-Misty

[Andy66]

One thing I've always admired about good (talented as well as ethically good) lawyers is that they are trail-blazers. So, YAY JOANNE!

I suggest you contact the ACLU and/or the NLGLA (National Lesbian and Gay Law Association), both of which I am a past member, and pick their brains.

[Kaitlyn Michele]

I am happy that the info was helpful to you......

and i did think you might be kidding...