Barristers with Disability: Challenges and Opportunities

Monday, 22 June 2020

Practice at the Bar is not only mentally engaging but also employs physicality in many ways. By nature and tradition, barristers are proudly self-reliant and generally solo warriors.

Disability at the Bar is seldom identified or discussed. Some barristers build their practice dealing with disability from day one. Many barristers continue or return to practice after illness or injury dealing with disability or changed ability on a temporary or permanent basis. Many more barristers deal with pain or other circumstances affecting the way they work who would never identify this as disability despite its real effects.

Dealing with a disability, be it hidden or in plain sight, in a practice where your closest colleagues are also your competitors is a special challenge.

The NSW Bar Association strongly believes that society and the profession benefit from diversity, that people with disability should be encouraged to come to the Bar and that barristers who experience illness, accident or disability should be supported to survive and thrive. So how do we all do better?

The panel will provide insight into their personal experiences of practising at the Bar while experiencing disability and will discuss what needs to be done to better support barristers with a disability at the Bar, what structural and social barriers still exist, and what steps could be taken to encourage people with disability to pursue a career at the Bar.

Panel

• Robert Dubler SC
• Valerie Heath
• Mark Robinson SC

Chair

• Matthew Cobb-Clark 

You are welcome to submit questions at the time of registration or via email to mcobbclark@level22.com.au. This panel discussion is presented by the NSW Bar Association's Accessibility Panel.