Law firms should take a proactive approach to employing disabled people as they can bring obvious benefits to a business - including providing specialist knowledge on how to comply with the DDA, delegates at the seminar heard.

But Catherine Everard, former chairwoman of the Group for Solicitors with Disabilities, said disabled solicitors were not getting a fair crack of the whip owing to the 'abysmal' attitude of employers.

'As soon as your application is received it's in the bin because [firms] are so terrible at employing disabled people,' she explained.

Mike Freeney, director of environmental access auditors Access Matters, said that there was still more prejudice towards disabled people than ethnic minorities or women, and warned that this could backfire.

'If solicitors are not able to give disabled employees equal rights, they won't be able to give their clients the right advice,' he insisted.

Paula Rohan