Disabled Solicitors Network advisory committee
Reena Parmar (chair)
Reena is chair of the network and joined the committee in October 2021.
She is counsel at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP, specialising in debt capital markets.
Reena was a founding member and former co-chair of the Freshfields UK employee disability network.
Reena has less visible disabilities, which developed during her working career. She is also a carer for family members with disabilities.
Reena is passionate about disability inclusion and accessibility and is committed to developing a disability inclusive culture in the legal sector.
Reena is a vocal advocate for disability and neuro-inclusion.
In 2024, Reena featured on the Shaw Trust Disability Power 100 List for 2024 (ranked third in the Politics, Law and Media category).
Reena is recognised as a disability role model in the 2024 and 2023 Enable Role Model List by INvolve, Champion of the Year at the Inspirational Women in Law Awards 2023 and a LinkedIn Top 100 Legal Influencer 2024.
Demi Rixon (vice chair)
Demi graduated with a first-class honours from De Montfort University in 2018.
Since then, she has worked as a real estate paralegal at global and regional firms and a legal IT training consultant.
Demi is studying her LPC and LLM part-time at BPP University Birmingham. Demi also works as a diversity assistant at Freeths LLP.
As well as other barriers facing disabled lawyers, Demi is keen to raise awareness of invisible disabilities and the importance of accessibility of technologies.
Mark Blois
Mark joined the committee in 2019.
He is the founding partner of Browne Jacobson LLP's education team, where his work includes advising education institutions on special educational needs and disability.
Mark is Browne Jacobson's disability and conditions sponsor, as well as a member of its DE&I Strategy SteerCo and partnership committee.
Mark has been named twice in the Disability Power 100, the annual list recognising the 100 most influential disabled people living and working in the UK.
In 2021, he was named in the Education, Public and Third Sector category and in the Politics and the Law category in 2023.
Jasdeep Brar
Jas qualified as a solicitor in 2023 at Linklaters after working six years in various roles in both the business teams and practice.
He is the firm’s disability ambassador and co-chair of the internal VisAbility network.
Jas has a high-level spinal injury, is a wheelchair user and has an acquired neurodisability.
He has a particular interest in physical disabilities and ensuring access for students and trainees to successful legal careers – both as practising and non-practising lawyers.
Hannah Campbell
Hannah is a solicitor at Irwin Mitchell's Birmingham office, specialising in serious injury.
She represents claimants who have suffered catastrophic injuries.
Hannah is the co-chair of Irwin Mitchell’s internal network for disabled colleagues.
Hannah is passionate about disability inclusion and speaks openly about her experience of living with a disability.
Chris Fawcett
Chris is an inclusion manager at Clifford Chance and joined the committee in 2023.
He is passionate about progressing disability inclusion in the legal sector.
Since registering as severely sight impaired/blind in 2015, Chris has used his lived experience to advocate for disability equity and accessibility in all areas of society.
He has presented at national and international conferences on disability etiquette, barriers in education, workplace disability strategy, inclusive design, and disability legislation across Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
Dr Elisabeth Griffiths
Dr Elisabeth Griffiths is an associate professor at Northumbria Law School, Northumbria University.
She is an employment lawyer with specific interest in equality law and disability legal studies.
Elisabeth is a qualified solicitor (non-practising). Her research interests focus on equality, disability and legal education.
She has a professional doctorate in law on the lived experience of disability in law school.
Elisabeth has a particular interest in building inclusive professional cultures for disabled law students as they transition from education into the legal profession.
Lizzie Hardy
Lizzie is an associate at Eversheds Sutherland, specialising in employment law and diversity and inclusion issues.
She has a particular focus on reasonable adjustments compliance and best practice.
Lizzie joined the committee in 2019. She is passionate about recruiting and training disabled talent in the law and is regularly invited to speak at panel events.
Lizzie founded and leads Project Rise, an initiative that seeks to introduce part-time training as standard practice across the legal profession.
She leads the committee's students and training project team, working with disabled trainees, law students and undergraduates.
Lizzie was shortlisted for Disability Champion of the Year 2024 at the Legal 500 ESG Awards.
Ryan Kelly
Ryan is an in-house lawyer who qualified in 2014.
Ryan joined the network in 2023 and is registered blind, so has first-hand experience of living, studying and working with a disability.
Ryan is passionate about equality and diversity. He hopes his experiences will help to guide and inspire businesses and individuals to embrace their differences.
Simon Maynard
Simon is a partner at King & Spalding, where his practice focuses on the resolution of international commercial disputes.
He is recognised as a Rising Star for international arbitration by Legal 500 and WhoWho’s Legal.
In 2022, Simon was recognised as Lawyer of the Year at the Legal Business Awards.
He writes regularly on the topic of disability inclusion, including in the Times, Financial Times, Global Legal Post and DisabilityQ.
Coralie McKeivor
Coralie is a director in the real estate team at Freeths LLP in Bristol, specialising in energy and infrastructure work.
She joined the committee in 2021. Coralie is president of Bristol Law Society and co-chairs its ED&I committee.
Coralie has a particular interest in support for legal professionals with non-visible disabilities, as well as intersectionality.
Placida Uzoamaka Ojinnaka
Placida is a non-practising lawyer who promotes inclusion across the legal profession and its regulators.
Since 2023, Placida has represented the network on the Law Society's Equality Diversity and Inclusion Committee.
Victoria Towers
Tori qualified as a solicitor in 2015. They worked in a mixture of boutique and global law firms before moving in-house to the charity sector.
They have been foundational in developing and supporting equality, diversity and inclusion networks at their workplaces.
They are particularly interested in increasing support for and access to the legal sector for those who are neurodivergent or have chronic illnesses.