A trainee solicitor who witnessed a deaf person struggle to communicate with emergency services has obtained a qualification in sign language to help make legal services more accessible.

Moore Barlow’s Elysia Shirley told the Gazette that she pledged to learn sign language some eight years ago when she witnessed a lack of communication between emergency services and a deaf person.

During Covid, when she was studying for her law degree, she undertook a remote course in sign language, learning the basics. During her LPC, ‘whether it was fate, but an advert appeared on my laptop for a local college that was doing an introduction to British Sign Language’, Shirley said.

As part of her interview for a training contract at Moore Barlow, Shirley had to give a presentation on something important to her that could relate to the firm’s values. She chose to do her presentation on British Sign Language, which she related back to the firm’s ‘human first’ value.

The first two minutes of Shirley’s presentation were purely done in sign language to make the recruitment panel think about how it felt not to be able to understand what she was saying. ‘That’s what clients will feel like,’ Shirley said.

Elysia Shirley

Shirley pledged to learn sign language when she witnessed a lack of communication between emergency services and a deaf person

Source: Moore Barlow

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Deafness and the justice system

After securing a training contract, Shirley successfully pitched the idea of obtaining a level one qualification in sign language (level six is the highest). Supported by her firm, she recently completed a 12-week course.

Once she has received her qualification certificate, her plan is to accompany solicitors across all departments on client visits where her ability to sign would be helpful.

Even if the client does not know sign language, but is hard of hearing, Shirley said there were things she learnt on her course - how the room should be lit, where everyone should sit, enunciation - that she can help with or provide guidance on. Shirley will also hold ‘sign of the week’ sessions and lunchtime classes for colleagues.

British Sign Language was legally recognised as a language of Great Britain in 2022 and last year the government launched, for the first time, five-year plans to improve the use of British Sign Langauge in individual departments.