We launched Disabled Lawyer and Proud as a campaign in July 2022 to mark Disability Pride Month. It became a monthly podcast, which:
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Enhances the visibility of disabled lawyers across the legal sector;
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Raises awareness of the obstacles disabled lawyers experience;
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Shares ideas to address these issues;
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Demonstrates the ways disabled people can work in the legal sector; and
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Encourages disabled students to pursue careers in the legal professions.
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Please check out the episodes below and return each month for additions. You can also:
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Christina Warner
Christina Warner is a family and animal protection barrister at Goldsmith Chambers.
Having been described by her clients as a “powerful” advocate with a “human touch”, Christina has raised awareness of the needs of LGBTQ+ people, Latinx communities and disabled people accessing the family courts as well as promoting their rights generally through pro bono contributions to charities and projects.
Having also been recognised as a “pioneer” in the field of animal protection law, Christina has fought to bring attention to the link between violence towards animals and children and domestic abuse.
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Audrey Ludwig
Audrey Ludwig is Head of Legal Services and Senior Solicitor at Suffolk Law Centre and is a member of the Discrimination Law Association. She has dedicated her recent career to ensuring that people in Suffolk can accress justice. She campaigned for a legal advice centre in the area and the neccessary funding. Suffolk Law Centre now has 60+ volunteers and 13+ staff members.
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Sarah Phillimore
Sarah Phillimore is a barrister at St John’s Chambers and specialises in public law Children Act 1989 proceedings. In 2014, Sarah set up the Child Protection Resource Website, which aims to provide helpful information to all those involved in the child protection system. Sarah has proximal focal femoral, which lead to her left leg being amputated in 1982. She uses a prosthetic limb.
Jodiann Gayle
Jodiann founded Legalnable, a support group for law students, after longing for a group where there was a safe space for people to share their personal experiences, feelings, coping strategies, or first-hand information about having a disability. Jodiann also works as a disability adviser in higher education, where she uses her lived experience of being disabled to change processes for disabled students to attain access adjustments. Jodiann is a law Graduate diagnosed with dyslexia who has faced her own challenges whilst pursuing a career at the Bar.
Fiona Hewitt
Fiona Hewitt is Senior Associate and Head of Employment and Commercial Disputes at Neves Solicitors. Fiona and the Commercial Litigation team are listed in the 2022 edition of the Legal 500. Fiona has enjoyed a fruitful and varied career since qualifying in 2002. Fiona trained at a ground-breaking firm before joining a national firm. She went on to found a firm in which her department was listed in the Legal 500 and then worked for herself for around 6 years. Fiona is also a passionate mediator.
Fiona is a proud Committee Member of the Law Society’s Lawyers with Disabilities Division and Honorary Solicitor for Team Endeavour Racing, part of the Invictus Games Foundation.
Emma Vogelmann
Emma Vogelmann currently works at Scope as Lead Policy Adviser for Children and Young People. Emma previously worked at Muscular Dystrophy UK for three years where she lead their disabled employment work, including writing the Ready and Able report that was launched at Parliament in 2019. Emma has also worked freelance doing policy work, public speaking, writing blogs, accessibility consulting, communications, and social media. She has worked with SMA UK doing online community sessions, Elect Her on their communications and accessibility work and Cosmopolitan Care on employment contracts and legal activity.
Emily Broad
This is Disabled Lawyer and Proud with Emily Broad. Emily is a Paralegal at the Infected Blood Inquiry. She graduated with an LLB from Cardiff University in 2017 and went onto study the Bar Professional Training Course and Clinical Legal Project LLM at City, University of London. Emily is the Vice-Chair of Operations at the Association of Disabled Lawyers and represents us on the Bar Standard's Board's Disability Taskforce where she leads our efforts to regulatory change at the Bar.
Mark Robinson
Mark is a barrister at Great James Street Chambers. He is described as a maverick who fiercely defends his clients. Mark is an experienced gangs practitioner and accepts instructions for serious youth violence and drug related offences. He also represents youths and vulnerable adults with experience of mental health challenges and learning disabilities who require an intermediary. Before becoming a barrister, Mark was a busy solicitor after he successfully completed his training contract with a leading East London criminal defence firm. Mark was previously a BBC Radio 1Xtra presenter, music producer and professional DJ for over 20 years playing throughout the UK, USA, Canada and Europe. He also worked for and still advises for leading Youth Justice Charity, Spark2Life, part of The London Borough of Waltham Forest’s Gang Prevention Programme based in Walthamstow, East London.
Dr Daniel Taylor
Dr Daniel Taylor was a research scientist in a previous life, with an MChem in biological and medical chemistry, a bachelor’s degree in psychology, an MSc in bioinformatics and a PhD in five physics. Dr Taylor is now an aspiring barrister and enjoys walking his west highland terrier, supporting Norwich City football club, speaking German, going to the gym, and undertaking marathons on his hand cycle.
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Joanna Owen
Joanna Owen joined Access Social Care as a Legal Manager where she is working with a team of dedicated and experienced lawyers and caseworkers. Joanna supports and supervises caseworkers, training new staff and working with the Head of Legal to continue developing ASC's legal team. Joanna is an experienced lawyer, specialising in equality and human rights as well as social care. Her last job was at the EHRC where she led their legal work on health and social care. She is passionate about disability rights and has strong links to the disability rights movement where her interest in law originated.
Daniel Holt
Daniel is a Pupil Barrister at 39 Essex Chambers. He is also the founding Chair of the Association of Disabled Lawyers. Daniel has engaged with the Bar Standards Board, the Legal Services Board, the Solicitors Regulatory Authority and many other organisations to help improve the experiences of lawyers and students with health conditions.
Daniel currently serves as Middle Temple Young Barristers Association Diversity and Inclusion Officer, as well as sitting on AllBar and Human Rights Lawyers Association committees. He's also a member of the Advisory Committee at Pictor Academy.
Daniel was educated in a special needs school and is a seasoned disability rights activist. He likes to play football for Sale United and Greenwich and can be found regularly at Muscleworks gym.