Tim Elder was Brown, Goldstein & Levy’s second ever Disability Rights Fellow and was with the firm from 2010 to 2011. Tim’s path first crossed with BGL as a client in a class action lawsuit with the National Federation of the Blind (NFB) where he met BGL founding partner Dan Goldstein, who encouraged him to apply for the fellowship. As an attorney who wanted work that was both personal and meaningful, Tim was excited to develop a professional relationship with a firm that connected with his goals and trial aspirations.
While at BGL, Tim worked on cases involving a wide variety of matters, including bar exam accessibility and disability employment issues. One such case was for Yasmin Reyazuddin, legally blind customer service representative for Montgomery County Health Department’s Health and Human Services who sought BGL’s legal representation to obtain justice in a disability employment matter.
Tim founded TRE Legal – based in San Francisco, California – after his fellowship at BGL ended. As Founder and Principal Attorney, Tim fights for the rights of the blind and other disabled people to access employment, education, government programs, public accommodations, accessible technology, and all other aspects of society. He also serves as President of the Board of Directors for the NFB of California. As a nationally recognized advocate and litigator fighting for the rights of disabled people, Tim still works with BGL on various cases. In his free time, you can find Tim making music and spending time with his three kids.
Tim’s advice to future BGL Disability Rights Fellows is to really dive and invest in all the cases and litigation opportunities, regardless of the practice area, and learn from BGL’s leading lawyering firsthand.
“Don’t be afraid to volunteer for cases, regardless of experience levels,” said Tim.
Learn more about Brown, Goldstein & Levy’s Disability Rights Fellowship here.