A DISCRIMINATION law specialist from Newport is one of a number of high profile speakers invited to speak in Paris at the launch of a French anti-racism initiative.

Eleanor Williams, who lived in Allt-yr-Yn Avenue growing up and where her parents still live, is a solicitor at the Cardiff-based law firm Darwin Gray Solicitors.

Miss Williams will share a stage with the vice-president of CBS news, the president of L'Oreal and the president of General Electric France to name just a few.

The launch comes as part of France's activity in the European Year of Equal Opportunities and Miss Williams was invited to speak as she is on the board of the Discrimination Lawyers Association as well as being fluent in French.

A former pupil of Duffryn Comprehensive School, Miss Williams went on to study law at Oxford and after graduation, she chose to specialise in the field of discrimination law and is delighted she has the opportunity to speak at the event.

"I'm thrilled, it's vital work. Because I'm disabled, I'm very fired up by the injustice that people from minorities face,"

said Miss Williams, who suffered a brain haemorrhage while in France when she was 16 which meant she had to use a wheelchair for nine years.

Providing a British perspective on the issues surrounding racial equality as part of her speech, Miss Williams said: "We've got a good cradle of legislation on sex, race, disability, age, religion and beliefs.

"What's interesting with these laws is when they have been in place for a while they change people's behaviour, further down the line we begin to change people's attitudes."