Neurodivergence in Law: The Importance of Advanced Communication in Law Practice (Presented by the Federal Bar Association Law Student Division Board)

Dean Arthur Thompson, Career Development | University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law

Arturo Thompson has served as the Dean of Career Development at the University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law since 2019. He has served in the same role at the University of Kansas School of Law, his alma mater, from 2011 to 2019. At the University of Utah his roles include his work in career development, running the school Cutting Sign to the Legal Profession program for Native American students, co-managing its Washington DC program, and serving as a member of the school’s Professional Identity Formation Committee.

Prior to working in law schools, Thompson was an attorney focused on commercial restructuring work in Phoenix, Arizona. He attended the University of Kansas School of Law from 2003 to 2006, entering the program at the age of 34. Prior to law school Thompson was in marketing and communications, working for everything from his own small agency in Tucson, Arizona, to a global tech company in Houston, Texas, to a subsidiary of one of the big global ad agencies in their Chicago office. Thompson was born in Arizona and grew up on a small family cattle ranch on the border with Mexico. He and his spouse, Karen Ford Manza Thomspon, have been married for 25 years and live in Salt Lake City, Utah. His interests include travel, cooking, photography, fly fishing, and improving a rather poor golf game.

Troy Doucet, Esq., Co-Founder | AI.law

Troy Doucet is an Ohio-based attorney who founded a consumer-focused law firm and Ai.Law, a tech company that drafts litigation documents for lawyers. With a background in economics and a successful career as a top-rated litigation attorney, he has a unique perspective on the transformative potential of AI. During his direction of Doucet Co., LPA, his firm resolved over $500 million of cases, usually involving complex litigation of highly technical financial and real estate statutory and regulatory schemes. In 2022, Troy found a piece of the puzzle he didn’t know was missing: he discovered he is autistic. The news wasn’t a blow, but a relief, making sense of past experiences and surprisingly, even making him a better lawyer.

Troy has taught numerous classes on consumer law, real estate law, and artificial intelligence and now regularly speaks about the impact of AI on the legal industry and how it will fundamentally change the way lawyers deliver services.

Stella Gerson, Esq. | San Diego Volunteer Lawyer Program

Stella Gerson, Esq. (they/them) is the Staff Attorney for the Guardianship Program at the San Diego Volunteer Lawyer Program (SDVLP). They graduated from the University of San Diego School of Law in 2023 with a Concentration in Public Interest Law. Their passion is working with children and youth and advocating for those in vulnerable population groups.

They received their bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Colorado Boulder and spent their time in college focused on addressing stigma and misconceptions related to mental health, engaging in neuropsychological research, and working with children at Blue Sky Bridge, a child advocacy center. Stella also actively serves on the Board of Directors for the Tom Homann LGBTQ+ Law Association.

Christina Hough, Paralegal, Law Student, and Ex Officio | Federal Bar Association Law Student Division Board

Christina Hough is a nationally recognized legal professional, consultant, and notary public, with more than 22 years of experience in the legal field. She has extensive experience in various areas of law, including labor and employment, contracts, personal injury, construction defect, product liability, pharmacy and administrative law, and other specialized areas. She is a law student and exofficio member of the Federal Bar Association’s Law Student Division Board, among other board director and committee roles. In 2023, she was selected by the National Notary Association as its Notary of the Year for her volunteer work with the San Diego Volunteer Lawyer Program’s HIV/AIDS Clinic and for providing rural populations with access to notary services. She has also been recognized as a Woman of Influence in Law by the San Diego Business Journal.

Christina is a champion for diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) and mentorship, regularly volunteering her time to mentor paralegal, business, and law students and new legal professionals. In 2023, she received an Affiliates Award from the National Association of Legal Assistants — The Paralegal Association for her work on San Diego Paralegal Association’s 2022 inaugural DEIB Educational Conference. She is an avid speaker and podcast guest, including appearances on The Notary Podcast with Daniel Lewis, Paralegal Freelance Lounge with Jaclyn Foster, and Legal Talk Network’s The Paralegal Voice.

• Dean Thompson leads a panel discussion with Christina Hough (2L, seasoned legal professional, and ex officio member of the FBA’s Law Student Division Board, who was late diagnosed with ADHD in her 1L year of law school), Stella Gerson (neurodivergent Staff Attorney with the San Diego Volunteer Lawyer Program), and Troy Doucet (autistic AV-rated lawyer and co-founder of AI.law) about the importance of advanced communication in law practice to include questions about: | 2:00pm – 2:50pm
  • Panelists’ lived experiences as neurodivergent legal professionals
  • How different learning types impact legal proceedings and what law firms, corporate legal departments and other law-focused entities can do facilitate more productive depositions, mediations, trials, etc.
  • Reasonable accommodations – what the law requires
• Q&A | 2:50pm – 3:00pm