Daniel
Holt
Pupil Barrister, Chair of the Association of Disabled Lawyers
Politics and Law
Daniel Holt is a pupil barrister at 39 Essex Chambers. He has dedicated most of his life to forging a career as a barrister despite being told that his speech impediment, use of a wheelchair and special needs education would be insurmountable. Undeterred, Daniel studied Law at City University and Queen Mary University of London, achieving two masters degrees.
Daniel is passionate about removing barriers for others. He joined the founding committee of Queen Mary’s Ability Society and later became President. He directed all its activities. Daniel was also elected the Student Union’s Disabled Students Representative. In these roles, he was awarded Campaign of the Year for spearheading a successful campaign instigating £400,000 to be allocated to campus accessibility.
Since then, Daniel has focussed on making change at the highest level. Daniel became a Board Trustee of Disability Rights UK, the nation’s leading voice for disabled people. He co-authored its response to Parliament’s inquiry into key unimplemented provisions of the Equality Act 2010 for disabled people. He was also Chair of its Income Generation Committee.
Daniel founded and leads the Association of Disabled Lawyers. He is influential in engaging with individuals, organisations, and regulators to improve the experiences of lawyers and students with health conditions. The Association was nominated for Outstanding Disability Network of the Year at the 2023 British Diversity Awards.
Daniel has not forgotten the grassroots. He provided educational workshops and mentorships for young disabled people through various organisations. He is also a member of the Advisory Committee for Pictor Academy, his former special school.
Daniel was highly commended at the European Diversity Awards 2018. He also received the Blackstone Exhibition Entrance Award and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge Award from The Honourable Society of Middle Temple.
“Being disabled is not a bad thing; it is resilience, difference, art, culture, history and connection.”
Follow Daniel
Useful links
Delete if not required
Disability Power 100 2023 profile information has been self-submitted by the profile subject. Shaw Trust understands and respects that disability and impairment descriptors and language use varies from person to person. Shaw Trust assumes no responsibility or liability for any errors or discrepancies in the content of this, or any other, profile page.
More from the Disability Power 100
Dr Shani Dhanda
Dr Shani DhandaDisability Inclusion Specialist, Social Entrepreneur and BroadcasterChair JudgeShani is a multi-award-winning disability inclusion specialist, thought leader, social entrepreneur, and accomplished broadcaster. She's driven change by establishing...
Lee Ellery
Lee ElleryWebsite Accessibility AssessorLee Ellery is from Swansea and has Cerebral Palsy which affects all four limbs and is also visually impaired. None of this stops him doing what he enjoys or working as a user-tester for Shaw Trust Accessibility Services. Using...
Simon Stones
Simone StonesSenior Medical Writer and Patient AdvocateSimon Stones is an Award-Winning Senior Medical Writer and International Patient Advocate. In 2023, he was awarded the inaugural Rising Star Award by the International Society for Medical Publication...