Breaking Barriers – working towards a more inclusive Scottish legal profession

On 25 September, Disabling Barriers Scotland, in partnership with the Faculty of Advocates, hosted access to justice conference Breaking Barriers.

Solicitors and advocates from across the profession were welcomed to the Mackenzie Building in Edinburgh for an afternoon of discussion and reflection on disability, equality and access to justice.

The event aimed to raise awareness of the barriers faced by people with disabilities within the legal system and to explore practical ways of improving representation and accessibility within the Scottish legal profession.

After a welcome from Dhana McIver and Felix Boon, the programme opened with a keynote address by Professor John McKendrick, who reflected on the intersections of equality, law and social justice. His remarks set the tone for a day focused on both principle and practice.

This was followed by a presentation from Nicola Gilchrist, ‘Deaf Awareness and Communication in Legal Settings’, which offered attendees concrete strategies for improving communication and accessibility for deaf clients and colleagues. A lively question session invited contributions from both John and Nicola, with participants able to submit questions via audience interaction platform Slido.

Later in the afternoon, Danielle du Plooy, founder of Uppertunity Limited and a board member of three Scottish charities, shared her insights on community engagement and the role of grassroots initiatives in driving inclusion.

Following a short break, Aaliya Seyal delivered a powerful session on ‘Lived Experience and Legal Access’, which drew on her personal and professional expertise to highlight the real-world implications of systemic barriers.

Keeping the conversation going

The day concluded with a panel Q&A chaired by Tom McGovern, which brought together the speakers and audience in an open discussion on the future of inclusion in the profession. Closing reflections were offered by Patricia Thom, President of the Law Society of Scotland, who emphasised the importance of embedding accessibility and representation at every level of legal practice.

Speaking after the event, organisers expressed their thanks to all who attended and contributed to what they described as an important and energising conversation. 

Fraser Mackay, chair of Disabling Barriers Scotland (DBS) said: “At DBS we always seek to promote inclusion through conversation and this event highlighted the importance of community to changing perceptions. It was fantastic to have over 70 people attend both virtually and in person for this important conference. We are looking forward to continuing to work with the Faculty of Advocates to promote inclusion in the Scottish Legal Profession. 

“My thanks to all of the speakers for giving their time to share their views on access to the profession, access to law for disabled people and how to create inclusive workspaces. Overall, however, I need to thank our fantastic team and in particular Dhana McIver, Felix Boon and Ellen Grant for working tirelessly to create our yearly conference.” 

The conference highlighted both the challenges and opportunities facing the profession as it seeks to address disability representation and to make Scotland’s justice system more inclusive.