DHANA McIver has been appointed by legal firm Balfour+Manson as its first Disability Officer.
Dhana, who is profoundly deaf and wears hearing aids in both ears, is a Trainee Solicitor who has had a wide-ranging career in the law – working for six years as an Executry Paralegal and 11 years with the Scottish Courts & Tribunals Service. She has also worked as a photographer.
She is currently a trainee in the Private Client team at Balfour+Manson and has been asked by the Law Society of Scotland to take part in a project to improve disability inclusion in the legal profession.
Dhana said: “I have been a long-standing campaigner and advocate around the issues faced by deaf and hard of hearing people – including being a member of the recently formed Disabling Barriers Scotland, a group set up to support and encourage those with disabilities to join the legal profession.
“I was delighted to be asked by the Law Society of Scotland to work with them on improving disability inclusion – and I am equally delighted to have been asked to take up the role as Disability Officer at Balfour+Manson. I encourage all who need support to contact me and we will work together to ensure that their needs are supported.”
Dhana will act as a point of contact to discuss any required adjustments for staff, clients, and other service users who may have a range of disabilities and to address day-to-day barriers and HR issues in a proactive way.
She has recently delivered presentations on Deaf Awareness at Balfour+Manson as well as previously to Police Scotland and the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service.
Scott Foster, Chief Operating Officer at Balfour+Manson, said: “I’m really pleased to have Dhana as the firm’s first Disability Officer. It’s so important to ensure that all our colleagues and clients are given exactly the same opportunities. and my door is always open to Dhana in her new role to raise any relevant issues.
“It’s also great that she is working on disability issues on a profession-wide level to support equality, diversity and inclusion issues more broadly.”
Dhana, who was born and raised in Canada, is currently working with Balfour+Manson’s Private Client team with a focus on wills, Powers of Attorney, applications for guardianships and the administration of deceased estates.
