Issues Facing Lawyers with a Disability

Written By Ainslie Hiebert
A cartoon image of a woman sitting at a desk wearing a navy business jacket. She is sitting at a desk looking at a computer, with a pen in one hand which she is holding up near her face. The cartoon does not have facial features.

By Robyn Tongol, 24th September 2021

The challenges faced by lawyers with disabilities are not something that is spoken about often enough by Australia’s legal profession. Three lawyers are looking to change that.

To read the full transcript of this episode, click here.

On this episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, host Jerome Doraisamy is joined by Equality Lawyers principal Natalie Wade, Makinson d’Apice Lawyers special counsel Ella Alexander, and Victorian Government Solicitor’s Office graduate Abbey Dalton, who together founded the Disabled Australian Lawyers Association, to discuss the myriad challenges facing lawyers with disabilities, stigmas faced by such professionals, and the prevalence of ableism.

The three founders also go into the role of the rest of the legal profession, particularly leaders, to ensure inclusive and safe working environments, and how the past 18 months have both positively and negatively altered the day-to-day practice experience of lawyers with disabilities, and how those circumstances might evolve post-pandemic.

Ainslie Hiebert
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