About Us
Disabling Barriers Scotland is a Not for Profit Group with a focus on assisting aspiring solicitors with a disability to gain access to the legal sector, remove obstacles faced by lawyers with disabilities throughout their legal careers, and celebrate the successful careers of lawyers with disabilities.
COMMITTEE
Dr Rachael Wallace
Current Issues
Our expert in understanding the barriers preventing the legal profession from becoming inclusive. Lecturer at the University of Dundee with a doctorate in ‘The Scottish Legal Profession and Reasonable Adjustments’. Member of the Law Society of Scotland’s Equality Law Committee.
Matthew Simpson
Education
Oversees development of programs for mentorship and career development for supporting aspiring solicitors. Recent graduate from University of Edinburgh and Legal Trainee at abrdn plc. Became involved with DBS after being diagnosed with ADHD in final year of LLB studies.
Ciaran Clarke
Treasurer
ACA qualified accountant, with a MA in Accounting & Finance from the University of Edinburgh. Experienced in financial, regulatory and statistical reporting for large multinationals. Passionate for raising awareness of professionals with disabilities after being diagnosed with dyslexia at university.
Alan Sinclair
Firm Engagement
Oversees our interaction with legal firms and enables our corporate members to engage with our community. Partner at Addleshaw Goddard specialising in Commercial Litigation and an ambassador for Dyslexia Scotland. Has written for the Herald ‘the writing is on the wall for stigma over Dyslexia.’
our team
NON-EXECUTIVE BOARD
Colette Burden
Governance Team
Senior Knowledge Lawyer at Addleshaw Goddard supporting the Scottish Real Estate Team. Before becoming a solicitor, Colette worked in the charity sector managing a charity which placed volunteers into a variety of local projects.
Danielle Connell
Data Protection Champion
Senior Associate within the EMEA Privacy Team at Cognizant and dual-qualified practicing solicitor. Danielle obtained her Masters in Law from the University of Glasgow specialising in Intellectual Property & the Digital Economy.
Dhana McIver
pastry chef
Private Client Solicitor and Disability Officer for Balfour + Manson LLP. Dhana is profoundly deaf, wearing hearing aids in both ears and a lip reader. Advocate for deaf awareness and working to increase inclusion in the legal profession.
Lindsay Jack
Education Team
Law Society’s Head of Diversity, Careers, and Outreach, and joined in June 2024 from Edinburgh Law School where she was Director of Student Experience. Lindsay is an award-winning equity and inclusion practitioner with over 20 years’ experience in widening participation.
Nicola Tully
Education Team
Lecturer in Law at the University of Dundee where she is the Employability and Graduate Skills Lead for the School of Humanities, Social Sciences and Law. Nicola is also the co-academic strategic lead for the UoD’s Education Academy, ‘Employability’ Hub/Project.
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