No offense to you fast talkers out there, but speaking with William "Bill" Marsillo is a soothing relief for anyone in the note-taking business. Marsillo, who has been a litigator at Boies Schiller Flexner for nearly 22 years, speaks clearly, deliberately and steers clear of jargon and flowery language. Marsillo, who has had a stutter since his youth, says he developed his speaking style over time. While he used to see his stutter as a "frustration" in his practice, he now views it as an asset.

Marsillo is part of a growing community of Big Law professionals who are taking an active role in raising awareness about stuttering. Earlier this year Marsillo joined the board of the American Institute for Stuttering, a non-profit that develops and provides specialized treatment for stuttering, alongside then-McGuireWoods senior associate Amish Shah, who has since moved to Goodwin Procter, Taft Stettinius & Hollister chief client officer Julie Henson, and McDermott Will & Emery public relations specialist Kerri Chace. They all took roles in the organization after its chair Eric Dinallo, who also chairs the insurance regulatory practice at Debevoise & Plimpton, spoke with our friends at The American Lawyer about how stuttering made him a better leader.