Disabled group chief steps up battle to ease passage into legal world

Amarjit Singh Devgun knows what it is like to struggle to find a training contract

The newly elected chairman of the profession's disabled group is determined to use his tenure to improve the lot of solicitors with disabilities, reports Michael Gerrard.

Amarjit Singh Devgun, 52, chairman of the Law Society's Group for Solicitors with Disabilities (GSD), is a sole practitioner at east London firm Devgun Spencer.

He qualified as a solicitor seven years ago after transferring from an engineering career, but has found the odds stacked against him ever since.

He has lived with a spinal deformity for nearly 20 years, which has meant that he is often in constant pain.

Nevertheless, armed with a law degree and law finals, he found trying to get a training contract almost impossible.

He says: 'I recognise that getting a training contract is difficult anyway, but when you have a disability it magnifies the difficulty many times.'

He sent literally hundreds of letters, but only a trickle of interview offers came back - and even when one firm offered him a contract, he had to turn it down as the office did not have sufficient access.

Eventually, he was forced to work for nothing to complete his training contract.

Life in the legal world looked distinctly less than rosy for the family and housing law specialist until he hooked up with his late business partner, Tom Spencer, whom he thanks for giving him his break.

He recalls: 'He put his trust in me and I owe him a lot.'

The tough start he had as a solicitor makes Mr Devgun determined to use his position to try and better the lot of others.