The Legal Mind Podcast: Disabling Barriers Scotland

Fraser Mackay was diagnosed with the learning difficulty of dyspraxia at the age of ten. With this running in his family he says it came as quite a surprise to all that he went on to study at University level, particularly when his first degree was in Philosophy & English Literature at the University of Edinburgh.  When completing his degree he found that he had a particular interest in research and policy work which led him to progress onto the Accelerated LLB and Diploma at the University of Dundee. Fraser was working as a Precognition Assistant within the Scottish Social Services Council alongside his studies and has now progressed onto his legal traineeship with the Council which he is due to complete in July 2024.  Fraser reached out to the legal community in Scotland in the summer of 2022 via the Law Society of Scotland and was introduced to Tom McGovern together they founded Disabling Barriers Scotland.

Tom was diagnosed with dyslexia at the age of 7 and received significant assistance throughout his time both at school and university.  With this assistance in place Tom successfully completed his LLB in Law at the University of Glasgow followed by his Diploma in Professional Legal Practice at the University of Dundee. Tom is currently completing his traineeship in criminal defence law firm McGovern Reid Court Lawyers in Lanarkshire and Glasgow and is due to qualify in December 2023.  In October 2022 Tom wrote an article ‘The Challenge of the Written Word for the Journal of the Law Society of Scotland.  Following the publication of this article he was put in touch with Fraser and Disabling Barriers Scotland was formed.