NEW CHARITY CLIENT
The WS Society is delighted to announce a new partnership with Disabling Barriers Scotland (DBS), a young charity dedicated to supporting individuals with disabilities within the legal profession. Disabling Barriers Scotland (DBS) is the first and only organisation in Scotland to support aspiring and practicing solicitors who have a disability or neurodivergence.
Founded in 2022 by Fraser Mackay and Tom McGovern, then a law student and a legal trainee, DBS was created to fill an important gap in the Scottish legal profession regarding the lack of support for neurodivergent law students, trainees, and practitioners.
Through their shared vision and determination, Tom and Fraser worked to increase awareness through articles, podcasts and interviews. Their joined efforts rapidly grew into a community of more than 80 law students, academics, trainees and practicing solicitors, which led to DBS gaining charitable status in February 2024, and being more recently shortlisted as a Scottish Law Awards Finalist.
DBS’ charitable purposes are to create a network of solicitors and legal students who have a disability or health condition, with a view to provide peer-to-peer-support, offering representation and advocacy for the removal of barriers that may exclude a person with a disability or health condition from entering or sustaining a career within the Scottish legal profession, and hosting events to discuss how particular health conditions can be managed within the workplace.
DBS also provides a legal firm membership offering to law firms across Scotland, where law firms become part of the DBS network which they can leverage to amplify their market reach to a diverse community of neurodivergent trainees and professionals. So far, DBS has already secured notable partnerships with leading law firms, which mark a significant milestone in the advancement of DBS’ mission. The legal partnerships include legal heavyweights in the Scottish legal market, such as Shepherd & Wedderburn; Addleshaw Goddard; McGovern Reid Court Lawyers; and Scullion Law.
“We are delighted to partner with the WS Society who have been supportive of our initiative since before we were a charity! We know that through our partnership we can launch effective support systems and increase awareness of neurodiversity/disabilities in our profession”.
- Fraser Mackay, Solicitor at BTO and DBS founder
Sophie Mills, Principal Solicitor and head of the Governance and Charities team at the WS Society said:
“The WS Society is honoured to collaborate with such a remarkable organisation, one that is positioned to fill an important gap in the Scottish legal community, and one which has achieved so much already only in its first year of operation. Together, we look forward to raising awareness and advancing the cause for diversity and inclusion in the profession.”
DBS will soon be launching a website, a membership hub, careers opportunities for members and their next insight events.
For more information, contact: