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BDABar hosts events for disabled aspiring barristers to learn, network and meet each other.
Upcoming and Past Events
Access to the Bar: How has access to the Bar changed overtime?
This panel event considers how access to the Bar has changed over time for disabled individuals to make the profession more inclusive.
In particular, the panel will consider the following questions:
Q1 How far has the Bar developed over time to become more inclusive of disabled people?
Q2 What lessons can the profession learn from disability justice movements of the past and present?
Q3 Is there a case or a moment that stands out as highlighting progress or setbacks for disabled people?
Q4 How can access at the Bar be further improved?
Our panellists:
• Daniel Holt (39 Essex Pupil & Association of Disabled Lawyers)
• Haleemah Farooq (Disability Not A Bar)
• Jodiann Gayle (Founder of Legalnable)
• Holly Girven (Pupil Barrister, Farrar’s Building)
• Christina Warner (33 Bedford Row Chambers)
• Sarah Phillimore (St John Chambers)
Two-Way Mentorship Scheme Launch Event
Join Bringing [Dis]Ability to the Bar for our first hybrid event, available both in-person in the hallowed halls of Inner Temple, and by remote attendance from your living room!
BDABar proudly brings you the launch of our Two-Way Mentorship Scheme. This is a pioneering system to give disabled people the opportunity to gain insight into life at the Bar and to give practicing barristers (and the chambers or employers) an opportunity to gain a greater understanding of how to give disabled mini-pupillage and pupillage applicants the best and fairest chance at obtaining a mini-pupillage and/or pupillage.
You will hear more from BDABar about how the scheme works, for both students and practitioners, along with insight from those that have already signed up to take part on what they expect the scheme will bring to their practice, and the ways they will be able to enrich their chambers’ recruitment practices in the future.
After hearing from our panel of speakers, there will also be space for networking with drinks and canapés, and you will also have the opportunity to sign up for our scheme, either as a student or practitioner.
International Women's Day Panel
This event is a collaboration between Women High Up and Bringing [Dis] Ability to the Bar. By bringing our organisations together, we will focus on the intersections between gender, disability, race and sexual orientation. We aim to create a safe space for discussion, addressing our experiences of systemic issues such as sexism, cissexism, misogyny, transmisogyny, ableism and racism. Through sharing our experiences, we hope to inform, challenge and inspire our audience - and invite this conversation to continue.
We include and welcome all women, cis and trans, and anyone of any gender (including those who are non-binary) who relate and are interested in the themes of our event.
Our panelists for this event are:
Mary Prior QC | The 36 Group
Christina Warner | Goldsmith Chambers
Rebecca Griffiths | Apex Chambers and member of the steering group of AllBar and BLEMI
Allison Hunter QC | 23 Essex Street Chambers
Elaine Banton | 7BR Chambers
Jadesola Sodipo | Senior Crown Prosecutor (CPS)
Rhian Hooton | Lawyers with Disabilities Division Committee (Law Society)
Demi Rixton | Lawyers with Disabilities Division Committee (Law Society)
Konstantina Nouka | Chair of Bringing [Dis]Ability to the Bar
Arianna Lippolis | Director of External Affairs of Women High Up
For accessibility requirements and inquiries please email events@bdabar.org
Link to register can be found here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/international-womens-day-event-tickets-272701947867
BDABar Launch Event
Sign up for our Launch Event here.
Bringing [Dis]Ability to the Bar (BDABar) aims to open up the legal profession and dismantle the barriers that disabled aspiring barristers face when accessing the Bar. We aim to raise awareness that current practices, and standards are inadequate in making the Bar an accessible and inclusive profession; whilst trying to destigmatise how disabilities are perceived. In order to do so, we will research, educate, and enable a two-way mentoring scheme. Our research findings and practical experiences will be used to improve accessibility at the Bar - in the hope that the barriers to the Bar can be broken down, and a more equal and fair Bar can be created.
The BDABar Launch Event is a great opportunity to find out more about the organisation, its structure, what we exactly want to achieve, and how we aim to support and advocate for disabled aspiring barristers. Additionally, you will have the opportunity to hear from our speakers who will be sharing their experience of navigating the Bar whilst being disabled. The Launch Event will take place on Friday, 28th January 2022 at 5:30 pm via Zoom!
Event structure:
17:30- 17:50: Committee Introduction & BDABar Launch Presentation
17:50- 18:05: Guest Speaker 1- HHJ Fayyaz Afzal CBE
18:05- 18:15: Guest Speaker 2- Christina Warner, Barrister at Goldsmith Chambers & BDABar Ally and Upcoming Trustee
18:15- 18:20 Break
18:20- 18:30 Guest Speaker 3- Daniel Holt, Future Pupil Barrister at 39 Essex Chambers, and Chair of the Association of Disabled Lawyers (ADL)
18:30- 18:40 Guest Speaker 4- Daniel Taylor, Called to the Bar by the Honourable Society of Inner Temple
18:40- 19:20: Q&A with members of the BDABar Committee
19:20- 19:30: Closing of the Event
To learn more about BDABar please visit our website https://www.bdabar.org/ and follow us on Twitter (@BDABarOrg), Instagram (@bdabarorg) and Linkedln (Bringing [Dis]Ability to the Bar).
For accessibility requirements, please fill those in on the following page in the box provided. For any other queries, please email events@bdabar.org.
We look forward to seeing you at the launch!
The BDABar Team
BDABar Launch
Please find a video of the launch below, and feel free to get in touch if you have any questions
Contact us.
events@bdabarorg
If you’d like to get in touch with BDABar about joint events, having speakers, or collaborations, please use the form above.