21 August 2014

I am delighted to be working with ‘City Disabilities’ and look forward to assisting other disabled aspiring professionals to achieve their goals.  I look forward to acting as a professional mentor and making a real contribution to the way disability is perceived and managed by both employers and employees in the City.  Professional service firms are making strides towards a more inclusive workforce that captures the talents of certain disabled individuals, but there is still much more to be done.  In particular, there is a real need for the encouragement and support which City Disabilities can offer in helping disadvantaged applicants to discuss their issues and concerns in a safe forum, without judgment and with a view to helping them utilise their strengths.

By way of background, I was born with a severe hearing impairment and have worn hearing aids from the age of six.  In addition, I have benefited from many years of tuition to assist with my speech and lip-reading.  My particular hearing loss, which makes it particularly difficult to discern speech, affects my day-to-day life such that I’ve come to rely on my hearing aids, without which I would be unable to carry out my role as a financing solicitor.  Before that, I studied Jurisprudence (Law) at Oxford University followed by my Legal Practice Course with BPP Law School in London.  I then trained with Slaughter and May, qualifying as a financing associate before joining the London debt finance team of U.S. firm Kirkland & Ellis International LLP.  Prior to qualification, I was also elected to the Executive Committee of the Law Society’s Lawyers with Disabilities Division and I maintain a keen interest in the way professionals manage disability in challenging work environments.

I admire the mission of City Disabilities and along with the rest of the team, will work hard to ensure it is a success.  I am very happy to be contacted and enquiries through the charity’s website are most welcome.

Warren Stapley