Members come from a wide range of backgrounds and include law students, retired solicitors, paralegals, law lecturers and practising solicitors. Members have a wide range of disabilities that affect them to varying degrees, including visual and other sensory impairments, impaired mobility and various disabilities that are not immediately apparent, such as epilepsy and dyslexia.
What we do
- Help people with disabilities to access legal services and facilities
- Lobby for legislation to protect their rights
- Provides a powerful communication channel to enable solicitors with disabilities to make their voice heard to the Law Society, local law societies, the profession, government and other policy makers
How we are run
The chairman is David Merkel, who is also a Law Society council member. The vice-chair is Kate Hincks and the honorary secretary is Jane Burton. The officers are elected annually.
An executive committee consists of the officers, the past chairman and the council member who represents the group on council. They can co-opt other members as they see fit.
Campaigning
Lawyers with Disabilities Division campaigns vigorously for its members, starting in 2009 with a drive to encourage employers to take on trainees and solicitors with disabilities.
Our successes
- Commenting on the provisions of the Disability Discrimination Bill – latterly the Disability Discrimination Act 1995
- Conducting a survey for the Royal Courts of Justice on physical accessibility at law courts, as a result of which the RCJ made several reasonable adjustments with regard to disabled facilities
- Highlighting discrimination experienced by people with visual and other sensory impairments wishing to be jurors
- Developing initiatives to help students with disabilities find training contracts
What our members say
'I first heard about the Group for Solicitors with Disabilities after reading an article in the Law Society Gazette. I was in my second year at university and had recently been diagnosed with dyslexia. I was extremely concerned about whether I should disclose to law firms I had a 'disability' when applying for training contracts. Over the years I have found the Group for Solicitors with Disabilities has been a great support and an excellent way to meet people who have similar life experiences.'