President & Managing Partner
Jason Turkish
Member, National Association of Disability Representatives
Most of his clients were told no once. A few of his cases changed the rules for everyone who came after.
Jason Turkish has been legally blind since birth. Everything his clients are up against, he has lived his whole life.
He graduated with honors from Northwestern Pritzker School of Law and externed under Richard Bernstein, the blind attorney who now sits on the Michigan Supreme Court.
Much of his work at Nyman Turkish is Social Security Disability: standing up for people who were turned down for benefits and helping them get a fairer hearing. And when a rule shuts disabled people out, he takes it to court, too.
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In the years since he was admitted to the Michigan bar in 2012, Jason has been counsel of record in more than ten federal cases across the state's district courts, has twice argued before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, and joined the Bar of the United States Supreme Court in 2016.
In 2024 he co-founded the Alliance for America's Promise, a national group that advocates for disabled Americans seeking Social Security and veterans' benefits, and serves as one of its directors.
The record
Beyond the hearing room
- Supreme Court of the United StatesAdmitted to its bar in 2016.
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth CircuitArgued twice before the federal appeals court.
- Michigan Attorney Discipline BoardAppointed by the state Supreme Court to the board that reviews attorney misconduct.
- Alliance for America's PromiseCo-founded the national disability-rights group and serves as a director.
Landmark cases
Fights that changed the rules
A few of the cases Jason has taken on, and what each one changed.
Binno v. LSAC
The settlement that took "logic games" off the LSAT for every test-taker in the country. The section came off the exam in August 2024. Jason was counsel for the blind applicants who brought the case.
The absentee-ballot case
Blind Michigan voters couldn't mark a paper absentee ballot without help. Jason sued, and in May 2020 blind voters used accessible electronic ballots for the first time. A consent decree later made that access permanent.
The deaf wrestler case
A deaf high-school wrestler was told he could have a sign-language interpreter, just not one he could see from the mat. Jason took the case pro bono, and the MHSAA rewrote its rule.
The veteran's transfer case
A decorated Army veteran came home with PTSD and asked for one accommodation: a transfer away from the border post that felt like the war. Jason took up his fight.
Harris v. Wayne County Airport Authority
A paralyzed veteran and a blind traveler took on Detroit Metro Airport after public buses were moved far from the terminal. The airport agreed to accessibility improvements.
- Super LawyersRising Stars, 2016–2026
- The National Trial LawyersTop 40 Under 40
- America's Top 100High Stakes Litigators
Press
In the news
Oct 2019
A fairer LSAT for the blind
Binno’s attorney, Jason Turkish, told CNN those are great accommodations for the other test sections, but they don’t make passing the logic games section any more possible. “You can give him all the time in the world, he still can’t draw a diagram,” Turkish said.
Guest CommentaryAug 2024
A voice on Social Security
Those who have experienced frustrating SSA interactions can readily attest that the transformation achieved this year is truly extraordinary. Customer service used to be a constant challenge at the SSA — now, that challenge is being solved.
Feb 2022
Disability rights, taken seriously
Although the Americans with Disabilities Act is decades old, many businesses, including law firms, continue to treat it as a suggestion, rather than federal law, according to Eve Hill and Jason Turkish, two lawyers who represent plaintiffs in disability cases.