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Disabling Barriers is the only community in Scotland for aspiring and practising solicitors with a disability, offering representation, advocacy, education, and engagement. Our mission is to create a community of belonging which offers peer support, celebrates the careers of those with disabilities and removes the barriers to equal opportunity within our profession.

Approximately 55,000 students in Scotland have a known disability. Over the last five academic years, the number of UK students with a declared disability has increased by 46% making up almost 1 in 5 of home students. (HESA, Who’s Studying in HE?)

Despite this, 5% of all respondents to a recent survey by the Law Society of Scotland consider themselves to have a disability (this is the same as 2018 vs. 4% in 2013). This 5% is compared to an average 14% of the UK workforce. The Profile of the Profession Survey (PoP) 2023 was completed by over 3,100 solicitors, trainees and accredited paralegals.

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• Call to action: mailing list sign up (as is on example home page, just colours/font update)

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• Recent news section/panel with photos for linked articles (3)
• WS Society event
• Founding Firms
• Nomination for Scottish Legal Awards 2024

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• About our Founders

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“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.”

Section 1 – Fraser Mackay

Diagnosed with Dyspraxia at age 11, Fraser sought support entering the Scottish legal profession. He found that while England had many groups to support aspiring solicitors who have a disability or health condition, Scotland had no comparative programme.

Section 2 – Tom McGovern

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.

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Recently appointed to the Law Society of Scotland Equality & Diversity Committee and regularly engages 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.

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• Charity number: SC053043
  
  

About Us

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.’

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 – 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.

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.

Support

OUR MISSION/NEXT STEPS

Create an Online Portal

We have received a quote from a website developer (Denovo) to establish a robust online presence through the creation of a 20 page website. This website will share information on best practice guidance, upcoming events, opportunities, and celebrate our partnerships.

Engage University Students

We are also in discussions with UnionCloud to create a membership hub where we will oversee our mentoring, work experience, and careers development opportunities. When live we will onboard new student members at careers events, through law societies, and University careers hubs.

Providing Advice & Advocacy

We are currently surveying our members to learn more about the difficulties that they encounter and what they would like DBS to prioritise. We have recently successfully advocated for increased internet connectivity at Glasgow Sheriff Court.

Raising Awareness

We will be partnering with Autistic Flair to raise awareness of disability within the Scottish legal profession. We hope that by normalising the conversation this reduces the stigma attached to disabilities within our profession.

Hosting Insight Events

To date we hosted several insight events discussing neurodiversity and disability within the workplace. We have co-hosted events with LawCare, SYLA, Law Society of Scotland and the Society of Advocates. We will continue to host roundtable discussions.

WORKING GROUPS OVERVIEW

Education

Whilst having a considerable emphasis on the employment sector, part of our focus will also be directed towards those training to join our profession. With the ‘stabilizers’ of school removed once a student reaches university they are now much more independent however also more isolated. For a person with a disability this can be a very exposing and testing experience. We would hope to offer support to students in such a position and help ease the transition from education to employment. This will be done through membership, working with universities on and off campus and a work experience program.

The group will focus on addressing key issues currently impacting the entrance to the legal sector faced by aspiring solicitors with a disability. This will include working with legal firms to offer training days, work experience opportunities, and application advice sessions. We will provide this service with a keen focus on current University students and those applying to study Law at University level.

Legal Firm Engagement

Our aim is to work with various organisations who work within the legal sector, for example The Law Society Scotland who helped create the group. We also look to engage with firms throughout different areas of law, to help grow ourselves and it would be our hope to inform as to the issues disabled persons face in the course of their employment.

Given the lack of a predecessor in this area of work, we will be looking for any guidance or support from voluntary groups who are much more established and experienced than ourselves. We understand that our group and others across the legal, voluntary and government sectors have a wealth of experience. We would welcome engagement and advice, we hope that by working collectively we can create a legal sector that is welcoming to those from all backgrounds.

We aim to write an education piece for legal firms created by members of the group to share insight and personal experience that we have. This would be of benefit to internal diversity and inclusion policy advisors seeking to understand the lived experience of professionals with a disability. We believe that our group members could offer a valuable insight before diversity and inclusion policies are implemented.

Current Issues

Disabling Barriers Scotland will act as a type of lobbying group comprised of persons with disabilities, interested parties and supporters. Issues that affect those with disabilities will be discussed and identified by the group who will then get in touch with organisations and institutions themselves to try and enact change where it is felt discrimination is at play. We will aim to change the current conversation in the legal sector in Scotland by celebrating the successful careers of members with disabilities.

In essence, Disabling Barriers Scotland, will function as the informal trade union type group for those with disability involved in law in Scotland. This is the first group of this type to be in established and it is long overdue. For the protection of both disabled persons in the profession, and those in the future who will be joining us, it is our hope that DBS can help clear pathway. If we can help, one person or student with disability Instead of being put off and add to law becoming a more welcoming and manageable area of work, DBS will have been a success. Our ambition is to help those with disability move being apologetic about what makes them different to unapologetic.

Whether it be in education or employment consistently the same issues of policy or environments which negatively impact disabled persons ahead of those without a disability and it is our goal to work with these groups to tweak how things are done for the benefit of all not just most.