Haley Moss is one month into her practice as a lawyer. So far, so good.

She has laser focus, a photographic memory and an extreme eye for detail — invaluable assets for poring over endless briefs and reports at Miami-based firm Zumpano Patricios.

And what’s more, she just might be making history: In January, Moss raised her hand, took an oath and became known as Florida’s first lawyer living openly with autism.

Her admission to the Florida Bar marked a key milestone in a life filled with them. Moss’ diagnosis with autism, at age 3, came with warnings that she might not finish high school, get a driver’s license or make a friend.

 

The Parkland native did all those things and more, earning two bachelor’s degrees — in criminology and psychology — by age 20 before graduating from the University of Miami School of Law in May 2018.

Zumpano Patricios now calls Moss “one of the first documented autistic attorneys to join the Florida Bar and a major law firm,” though firm co-founder Joe Zumpano believes “she may be one of the first nationally.”

“I hired her the moment I met her,”  said Zumpano, who has a 16-year-old son with autism. In Moss, he saw “a brilliant person with a brilliant mind.”

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