After a really contentious deposition, there’s nothing better than going to rugby and bashing into things. It’s therapeutic on so many levels.
was a real achievement,” she says. While the practice of law is a
12
natural fit for her, it isn’t necessarily easy. “Just about everything that’s crucial to build your career—the long hours, delivering under pressure, being available for clients and col- leagues 24/7—isn’t great for anyone’s health. And when you’ve got a body that doesn’t work the way it’s supposed to, and that requires extra time to do just about everything, taking care of yourself is a real challenge.” Tis is especially true for someone
who has limited options to exercise. It is why she has recently taken up wheelchair rugby. “It is fondly known as Murderball,”
she says. “It’s played on an indoor bas- ketball court with specialized wheel- chairs. To qualify to play you need to have impairment in all four limbs, but there’s a huge variation in abilities. Everyone has a role to play—the guys with more dexterity are usually the ball handlers. I am basically a line- man. It’s a lot like bumper cars.” It had been a long time since
DeBruicker had much interaction with others who have disabilities. Adaptive sports had never piqued her interest. But finally one day she went to a practice. “I had forgotten how much fun it is to chase a ball around,” she says.
DIVERSITY & THE BAR® MARCH/APRIL 2013 She also enjoys the camaraderie
and looks forward to going to prac- tice. “After a really contentious deposi- tion, there’s nothing better than going to rugby and bashing into things. It’s therapeutic on so many levels.” Despite her achievements,
DeBruicker still finds barriers she has to work around. “People tend to assume that I
don’t get out of the office much. I’m constantly letting people know that I go to court, travel, and litigate pretty much anywhere. I’ve argued motions in California, deposed witnesses in Florida, tried a case in Kansas.” She also has had to push to get
candid feedback on her work. “As a young associate, what I often
heard was ‘I really admire what you do,’ or ‘You are so capable.’ Tat’s nice, but it didn’t help me write a better brief or hone a more convinc- ing argument. So I learned to ask specific questions to get the kind of substantive critique I was looking for—without that, there’s no way to know where you really stand.” Te incorrect assumptions and
hesitancies, she says, “are certainly not deliberate—they are most likely just a result of a lack of experience around people with disabilities, at least in the workplace.”
As a partner in an AmLaw 100
firm, DeBruicker sees specific oppor- tunities to change those perceptions. One is to show that attorneys with disabilities can do the work as well as anyone else, and bring valuable skills to the table. Te second is to ensure diverse partners of all kinds are build- ing their books of business. “Many companies already track
whether diverse attorneys are work- ing on their cases,” she says. “When that work is managed by a diverse relationship partner, the impact can multiply exponentially. Our diverse partners can connect clients to top- flight talent across the country and even the globe, and ensure that the team doing that work includes those who can see your issues from an array of perspectives rather than a narrower shaft of experience, and deliver great results. It ensures challenging oppor- tunities and steady work for diverse associates, and at the same time, builds the business of the diverse partner, which is the hallmark of big-firm respect and credibility. It advances the ball for so many people on so many levels.” D&B
Tom Calarco is a freelance writer based in Altamonte Springs, Fla.
MCCA.COM
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