Disability Pride Month 2024

Disability Pride Month is celebrated worldwide in July each year. It is an opportunity to honour the achievements, experiences, and struggles of the disability community. It also seeks to change the way people think about and define disability. We are celebrating Disability Pride Month by spotlighting barristers with a disability and sharing their stories.

 

Andrew Dakoutros (Middle Temple)

Andrew Dakoutros is co-deputy chair of Hall Committee and head of inhouse advocacy at Government Legal.  Andrew has dyslexia, ADD, and severe anxiety.

Why did you become a barrister?

Being a barrister for me is about lending my voice to other people.  I love being able to put another person’s intentions into words in the context of law.  Being a barrister is a privilege and it is something I’ve always wanted to do.

 

What has your experience been like?

As a disabled barrister, one of my fears was talking about my disability in public.  There are times when I need a little longer to read or learn something, or to process a new piece of information.  I’ve had the privilege of working with incredible lawyers in pupillage who gave me the confidence to be open about my disabilities.  In practice, I’ve found that judges and other legal professionals are very onboard with giving disabled colleagues the space they need.  I’ve also been fortunate to have some incredible disabled role models both within GLD and the wider legal profession that have helped quieten my biggest critic – my internal dialogue of imposter syndrome!

 

What obstacles have you faced?

As I’ve alluded to before, imposter syndrome is rife amongst all lawyers with diverse ways of working.  I have found that once you’re in the profession, professional colleagues are more than happy to make accommodations for you.

 

What changes would you make to the profession?

I would like more people with neurodiversity and hidden disabilities to talk more about it.  Role modelling is so important, but it is also really important that we as a profession give role models that space to be open about their disabilities.

 

What advice would you offer to aspiring barristers?

I am very lucky to mix with a diverse range of aspiring barristers.  The main thing that I remind everyone is to be their authentic selves.  A disability is part of who you are, and it makes you unique.  Innovation and new ideas thrive when you have a multitude of viewpoints and experiences that are free to interact with each other.   Every single person who wants to be a barrister says they are passionate about the law, but when making applications, people forget to say what made them passionate – what is the viewpoint they have that’s missing from the bigger picture?  I would also tell people to speak about who they are as a person – to distil themselves down to their essence, and make the world see what a fantastic person they are.

 

Christina Warner (Middle Temple)

Having been described as a “powerful” advocate as well as possessing a “human touch”, Christina has channelled her efforts into raising awareness of the needs of the disabled community when accessing justice.

In October 2023, she was a panel speaker at the All-Party Parliamentary Group in the House of Commons, discussing the link between human and animal violence, drawing on her knowledge of disabled victims of domestic abuse. She was also invited to speak at the International Criminal Court Bar Association’s panel discussion on international humanitarian law and disability on 25 January 2024.

One of only a handful of disabled barristers in practice, Christina was diagnosed with Stargardts Disease – a progressive condition which causes sight loss – she has used her experience to support those living with or challenged by disability within family proceedings. Christina has been recognised through numerous awards and accolades for her campaigning and advocacy on disability matters. She is regularly published on domestic and international issues affecting the disabled community, such as do not resuscitate orders, disability, and the right to decide, and the impact of international conflicts on disabled women and girls.

Associate counsel at the International Criminal Court, Christina is a multi-award-winning advocate, published globally. She has been credited by Amnesty UK, the UK Diversity Legal Awards, and the National Diversity Awards amongst others. Most recently, Christina has been shortlisted as one of the most influential disabled people in the UK by leading disability charity, the Shaw Trust for a third consecutive year.

As a woman of Hispanic heritage, Christina has highlighted this quote from Sonia Maria Sotomayor: “I do know one thing about me: I don’t measure myself by others’ expectations or let others define my worth.” - Sonia Maria Sotomayor, the first Hispanic and Latina Supreme Court Justice. 

 

 

Daniel Holt (Middle Temple)

Why did you become a barrister?

The Bar appealed because it provides intellectual stimulation above and beyond other career paths. I also wanted a career with advocacy at its centre. Coherent and persuasive arguments can immeasurably improve a case, and helping clients find solutions through both oral and written advocacy is rewarding.  Working closely with the law and using my analytical skills to influence society through legal interpretation were also important to me.

 

What has your experience been like?

My experience at the Bar has been largely positive. 39 Essex Chambers gave my career the best start, and I was well-supported. They gave me the opportunity to become a practising barrister, the only job I ever considered. I was also able to learn more about myself and the Bar. Not being offered tenancy was a significant blow. Only the raw grit that got me this far would save my career. Not being a barrister was not an option. I look forward to developing myself and my practice at Farrar’s Building, a phenomenal set with an unrivalled reputation for supporting disabled practitioners and being personable.

 

What obstacles have you faced?

The Bar, much like wider society, did not develop with some like me, a working-class person with a speech impairment and significant mobility restrictions. I also use a wheelchair. Because of these factors, there are attitudinal and physical obstacles that I face. I was told that somebody with a speech impediment and that used a wheelchair could never become a barrister. Generally, attitudes at the Bar are improving, but there are still several harmful working practices that prevail. The most significant obstacle is still the physical limitations of our court buildings and chambers, which add extra delay and difficulty to already stressful and pressured situations. 

 

What changes would you make to the profession?

I would make two changes (to begin with):

1. The buildings we use to serve justice should be accessible, including courts and chambers. The law can touch anyone, and the Bar should reflect these members of society. Justice cannot be done without equal access to courts and legal services.
2. The assumptions made about disabled people in the professions and those entering the Bar need to stop. There are different ways to have a career at the Bar; one size does not fit all. Members involved in recruitment should undertake rigorous disability and unconscious bias training.

 

What advice would you offer to aspiring barristers?

Having belief in yourself and your ability is essential at the Bar. It is a small and highly competitive workplace, where you must put yourself out there. Additionally, I would say that many facets of life as a disabled person are beneficial to the Bar. The resilience, flexibility, and interpersonal skills that we acquire are highly applicable to situations you will be in as a barrister.

 

 

John Horan (Inner Temple)

Why did you become a Barrister?

I really decided to become a Barrister on two separate occasions.  Once when I was a graduate at university, and it seemed like a fun and remunerative career; I did this while knowing nothing about what a Barrister actually did.  The second was after my stroke when literally nobody thought that I, as a person with a severe disability, could achieve anything at the Bar.  I was of the view that I could and actively pursued the path.  I am pleased to say that I achieved a lot, having reviewed what a Barrister was and come up with something to do with morality, rather than something to do with finance.

 

What has your experience been like?

Again, my experience has fallen into two halves.  Being a Barrister while I was white, male, heterosexual, public school, Oxbridge, able-bodied, which was everything that I perceived I was entitled to, and I encountered no discrimination whatsoever.  Then there was my experience of coming back to the Bar while I was disabled, when everything remained the same but was utterly different.  I found it difficult to persuade judges, other barristers, solicitors and lay clients who were not disabled that I was a “proper Barrister”. I again and again have to deal with discrimination from all sides, although I have learnt the way to minimise it and my reputation now means that I am feared – as the “other”.  There still is a problem with lawyers and judges and them really not understanding my right to be a Barrister (the same as able-bodied people) and my clients’ right to litigate alongside able-bodied people. 

 

What changes would you make to the profession?

I have already made some profound changes to the legal profession.  I was the first one to point out the lot of disabled people when it comes to litigating in UK courts – there was almost nothing in the CPR to deal with disabled or other vulnerable court users.  I appeared in the employment appeal tribunal and the court of appeal both in Northern Ireland and in England and Wales and as a result a few years ago the rules were changed.

 

What advice would you offer to aspiring Barristers?

 I would offer two separate pieces of advice - to the classic male, heterosexual, public schooled, able-bodied barrister – good luck – and any aspiring disabled or other historically disadvantaged group – please come to the Bar, it is only with your help that things can change.  The lot of a disabled barrister is not that rosy, still.  They will find discrimination wherever they are and will probably get paid a lot less money than other barristers, but their presence is urgently required so that disabled people in other groups can be filled with pride in the disability and ask the courts to give them what is lawfully theirs.