Resolution’s Disability Webinar 2024

On 28 November 2024, Resolution hosted a special online webinar that looked into the important topic of Disability in Family Justice, including neurodiversity, fostering awareness and understanding around why it matters in the workplace.

Our panel of speakers discussed:

  • The issues that Resolution members should know about with regard to disability, both for colleagues and clients in the family law sector.
  • What good practice looks like to support colleagues and clients with disabilities.
  • What Resolution members and their firms can do to support good practice.

This session provided a welcoming environment to discuss the practical aspects of working with clients and colleagues with diverse abilities. Through perspectives shared by our panellists, we got a valuable insight into how to build a more inclusive and supportive work culture.

 

Meet the speakers:

Abigail Pearse

Abi is a Senior Associate and Collaborative Solicitor at Mills & Reeve LLP, having joined the firm in 2018 as a trainee. Abi practices in all areas of family law, balancing a busy case load including complex children disputes, international adoptions, and financial remedy matters. Abi is committed to promoting equality, diversity, and inclusion in everything she does – Abi is currently a member of Resolution’s National Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Committee and she is the Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Officer for the Manchester YRES Committee. At Mills & Reeve, Abi enjoys her role as co-chair of the Ability Network (the firm’s disability, neurodiversity, and long-term condition network) where she works hard to promote the interests of disabled employees, partners, and clients at the firm, as well as celebrating and raising awareness of disability related issues. Abi speaks openly about her diagnoses with long-term illnesses and seeks to raise awareness on how to make family law a more accessible and inclusive area.

 

 

 

Alia Lewis

Alia Lewis is a director and award winning solicitor at Duncan Lewis, who specialises in representing neurodivergent children in complex child protection cases and is committed to upholding the rights of neurodivergent individuals within family proceedings.

In 2017 at the age of three, Alia’s son was diagnosed autistic. Her learning journey in relation to autism and special needs has made her acutely aware of the knowledge gaps and discriminatory practices relating to neurodivergence in the family justice system. This has rapidly led to Alia developing an unwavering determination to effect positive change.

In 2023, Alia established a specialist Autism and ADHD care proceedings team at Duncan Lewis, offering bespoke and highly skilled representation to neurodivergent clients. This progressed to Alia becoming a co-founding member of FLANC (Family Law Advice for the Neurodivergent Community), which is a cross firm working group dedicated to ensuring that the neurodivergent community has equal access to justice by addressing barriers to participation in family proceedings and dispute resolution.

 

Sanjay Harish Solanki

Sanjay is a Consultant at Family Law Consultants and a trained mediator. He was recently employed at a bespoke family law firm that specialises in Autism. He is also a former committee member of the Law Society’s Disabled Solicitors Network and ormer member of Birmingham Law society’s Health and Disability Sub-Committee. Sanjay is currently a member of Stamma Legal, a network for people who stammer in the legal profession. Sanjay also co-runs Stand up to Stammering, a private group that creates a safe space to support those who suffer with a stammer/stutter.

 

 

 

 

Rebecca Elliot 

Rebecca is a Lead Disability partner at the Business disability forum (BDF) The Business Disability Forum is the leading business membership organisation in disability inclusion. Rebecca has diverse experience in law, social enterprise, and welfare to work from the BDF; With a focus on employability and disability support, she is currently studying for an MSc in Strategic Human Resource Management.

 

 

 

Kelly Pougher Round

Kelly Pougher founded Pougher-Round Solicitors in 2020 after a 16 year legal career. Kelly’s passion was always towards becoming a specialist family law solicitor, even from a young age after experiencing her own parent’s acrimonious divorce. Having had experience of  working on cases involving Autistic children it became apparent that these exceptional families required and deserved a different level of support and understanding. Kelly has dedicated her background to focus on leading, educating and raising awareness, acceptance and understanding of Autism through her legal day to day work and practice.