ABOUT US
VISION
For access to justice for people with disability to include the provision of private legal services that are inclusive and understanding of disability.
VALUES
1 | ENSURING EQUALITY
Every day, we exist to ensure that people with disability have equality before the law and can access justice.
‘Ensuring equality’ happens in two ways: we provide a service where people are treated equally and we take on cases where our clients have not had a fair go because of their disability.
2 | PROMOTING DISABILITY RIGHTS
We believe that actively promoting what disability rights are and how they can be upheld is critical to people with disability being equal.
3 | PROVIDING LEADERSHIP
Equality Lawyers is taking responsibility for providing leadership in the legal profession and community to improve the delivery of legal services to people with disability, their families and supporters. We lead by example and take time to share with other law firms how they could also incorporate inclusive practices into their legal services.
NATALIE WADE | FOUNDER AND PRINCIPAL LAWYER
Natalie Wade is the Founder and Principal Lawyer of Equality Lawyers. Natalie spends most of her day providing premium legal services to people with disabilities, their families and supporters. This includes writing legal advice to them, advocating for them and representing them in court. As a recognized disability advocate and award-winning lawyer, Natalie’s purpose is to advance the rights of people with disabilities in Australia. This has seen Natalie be a leader on law reform for the participation of people with communication disabilities in courts and ending violence against women and girls. When Natalie is not providing legal services, she is often drinking coffee, crocheting and hanging out with her poodles.
Natalie’s disability gives her a personal insight into the issues faced by clients at Equality Lawyers. Establishing Equality Lawyers has combined Natalie’s professional experience as a human rights and civil lawyer with her knowledge of the issues facing people with disabilities and their families in Australia. Offering passionate, flexible and accessible legal services is the core of Natalie’s approach.
MATTHEW DI CATERINA | LEGAL RESEARCH ASSOCIATE
Matthew is completing his final year of Law School at Flinders University and comes to Equality Lawyers with a swag of very impressive legal research credentials. Recently nominated as Law Student of the Year in the Australian Law Awards, Matthew has expert skills in researching complex legal issues including in administrative law, human rights and anti-discrimination laws.
Matthew brings not only his incredible research skills to Equality Lawyers‘ but also offers an authentic understanding of disability.
When Matthew is not researching the intimate details of case laws and legislation, he can be found hiking Morialta, drinking only the best Adelaide Hills wine or gaming on his PC.
ALANAH PATERSON | EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT
Alanah Paterson is the Executive Assistant for Equality Lawyers. Alanah does the usual EA jobs like answering the EQL phone, booking clients in to meet with us and making sure our fling cabinet is in tip-top shape but she also has responsibility for managing our key partnerships in the disability sector, ensuring our social media presence is responsive and engaging and assists the Founder of EQL to provide up-to-date resources to the disability community on legal issues.
Alanah has a personal lived experience of disability which guarantees she is empathetic and understanding to all our clients.
