About Us
Our team are advocates for disability inclusion in the Scottish Legal Profession and have a wealth of personal experience of the barriers preventing access to or occurring within the Scottish Legal Profession. Please reach out to any of our team members to discuss opportunities, connect or get involved!
FOUNDERS
“We are called Disabling Barriers because we are a team that focus on dismantling the barriers that prevent a person from accessing or sustaining a career in the Scottish legal profession, rather than people’s individual health conditions.”
Our founders are members of the Law Society of Scotland Equality & Diversity Committee and regularly engage in outreach across the profession. Fraser and Tom first met through a shared difficulty of accessing similar support available to students and solicitors in England & Wales. To date, they have encountered many students who have faced similar difficulties and share a determination to ensure that equal opportunities exist for those who wish to pursue a legal career in Scotland.
Fraser Mackay
Chair
Fraser is a Solicitor at the Scottish Social Services Council. Having been diagnosed with Dyspraxia at the age of eleven and being the first in his family to attend University, Fraser sought support when entering the Scottish legal profession. Following a conversation with the Law Society of Scotland, he found that while England & Wales had many groups to support aspiring solicitors who have a disability/neurodivergence, Scotland had no equivalent support.
Tom McGovern
Trustee
Tom is a criminal defence lawyer at McGovern Reid Court Lawyers. Having disclosed his Dyslexia during a court hearing, Tom was featured in a BBC News interview about his experience of the legal profession. Tom was diagnosed with Dyslexia at the age of seven and received assistance throughout school and University. Tom wrote an article, “the challenge of the written word” for the Law Society of Scotland journal, has successfully advocated for increased internet accessibility at Glasgow Sheriff Court and was featured on Embracing Neurodiversity in partnership with This is Me.
TRUSTEES
Dr Rachael Wallace
Current Issues
Rachael has featured on BBC interviews, is a highly regarded speaker, and has featured on podcasts, including for Hey Legal News. Dr Wallace is 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’ and Member of the Law Society of Scotland’s Equality Law Committee.
Matthew Simpson
Education
Oversees the development of programs for mentorship and career development to support aspiring solicitors. Recent graduate from the University of Edinburgh and Legal Trainee at abrdn plc. Matthew became involved with DBS after being diagnosed with ADHD in the final year of LLB studies.
Currently Recruiting
Treasurer
More information about the role can be found on the WS Society website.
If you are interested in this opportunity please contact – contactus@dbscotland.org
Paul Mosson
Firm Engagement
Oversees our interaction with legal firms and enables our corporate members to engage with our community. CEO of the Costs Lawyer Standards Board, an executive coach working with neurodivergent clients, and a workplace culture consultant. As a member of the LGBTQIA+ community, a neurodivergent leader, and the first in his family to earn a university degree, Paul brings a deep, lived understanding of the importance of role models when navigating life’s challenges and opportunities.
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.
Dhana McIver
Current Issues Team
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.
Danielle Connell-Grant
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.
VOLUNTEERS
Louisa Richardson
Marketing Coordinator
Final year LLB (Hons) student at Glasgow Caledonian University interested in employment and equality law. Louisa is a Student Director of the GCU Law Clinic. Louisa became a member of Disabling Barriers in 2022 and, in the last year, had a lead role in media work for the charity. Louisa was diagnosed with Type 1 Narcolepsy in her late teens.
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