The Illinois Defense Counsel (IDC) recently published an article written by Baker Sterchi attorney Branden Brooks about his experience as a lawyer with a speech impediment. The article, “Diversity Comes in all Shapes, Sizes, and Silence” appears in the 2022 Fourth Quarter edition of the IDC Quarterly Magazine.

“I have had a speech impediment since childhood,” Brooks notes in the article, adding that “disabilities may not always be apparent at first glance or may be undetectable all together.” He added that the goal of any workplace should be to create an environment where everyone feels welcome to be themselves whether they elect to disclose personal information or not.

Brooks is a civil defense lawyer focusing on toxic tort and product liability matters. As a former prosecutor, Brooks represented the State of Missouri in prosecuting individuals charged with felony offenses within the City of St. Louis. He is the current IDC Diversity & Inclusion Committee Co-Chair. Admitted to practice in Illinois and Missouri, he received his law degree from Boston College Law School.

Founded in 1964, IDC is a premier association of attorneys in Illinois who devote a substantial portion of their practice to representing business, corporate, insurance, professional, and other individual defendants in civil litigation.