Neurodiversity is no longer a peripheral conversation in the legal profession. As awareness grows, more firms are recognising the strengths neurodivergent trainees, newly qualified lawyers and junior associates bring, while also acknowledging that many still face barriers that affect confidence, performance and retention.
As competition for legal talent intensifies, early careers have emerged as the most critical point for action. Ahead of our upcoming webinar, Neurodiversity in Law: Opportunity, Support Strategies and Retention, we spoke with early-careers and talent leaders about why early careers matter so much, what neurodivergent lawyers experience in practice and where firms can make the biggest difference.
For law firms thinking about talent strategy, retention and long-term performance, early careers are where neurodiversity has the greatest impact.
Why Neurodiversity Matters in the Legal Profession
Law is a demanding, people-focused profession. Analytical reasoning, sustained focus, problem-solving and judgement are core to legal practice - areas where many neurodivergent lawyers excel. At the same time, expectations around wellbeing, flexibility and inclusion are changing, particularly among those at the start of their careers.
Cait Evans, Global Head of Talent at Chambers and Partners, noted that an increasing number of individuals are receiving neurodivergence diagnoses at the same time as entering their first professional roles. For many, this happens without clear role models or established pathways for navigating legal careers as neurodivergent professionals.
As a result, neurodiversity is increasingly being viewed as more than a DEI issue, and recognised as a talent, performance and retention priority for law firms.
Ability Is Not The Issue
One of the most consistent insights from these discussions was the disconnect between academic success and workplace experience. Many neurodivergent lawyers enter the
profession with strong academic results and technical capability, yet encounter difficulties once they move into practice. Recent data from the Solicitors Regulation Authority shows that neurodivergent candidates who receive reasonable adjustments are not disadvantaged in the SQE. This highlights a crucial point - capability is not the barrier.
Instead, the challenges often emerge within the workplace environment. Unclear expectations, inconsistent feedback, rigid working practices and reliance on unspoken norms can disproportionately affect neurodivergent early-career lawyers. While rarely intentional, these factors can quickly undermine confidence, engagement and long-term retention.
Why Early Legal Careers are the Critical Stage
Early legal careers are demanding by nature, with trainees, newly qualified lawyers and junior associates learning how to practise law while also navigating pace, hierarchy, feedback and workplace culture - much of which is informal or unspoken.
For neurodivergent individuals, this period can be particularly challenging. Many are still developing an understanding of how they work best while trying to meet high professional expectations. Confidence can be fragile, and junior lawyers may feel they have not yet ‘earned’ the right to ask questions, request adjustments or seek clarity. “Early careers are when confidence is at its most fragile,” Rachel notes. “If people feel unsupported at that stage, they can start questioning whether law is really for them.”
Lou Earp, Early Talent Manager at Lawfront, also describes early careers as a decisive moment: “Early careers are where people start asking themselves whether they belong, or not.” Without appropriate support, neurodivergent lawyers may interpret difficulty as personal failure rather than recognising a misalignment between the individual and their environment.
The Hidden Impact of Unwritten Rules
While many firms have introduced formal policies around inclusion and wellbeing, our panellists emphasised that some of the most significant barriers facing neurodivergent lawyers are informal.
Rachel Boyle, Talent Development Manager at BCLP, Co‑Founder of Legal Neurodiversity Network (LNN) and Founder of Nurturing Neurodivergence, highlighted the impact of ‘invisible rules’ around feedback, communication and expectations. “A lot of what we expect from junior lawyers is never said out loud,” Rachel explains. “When expectations stay invisible, even very capable people can struggle. Once you make things clearer and adjust the environment, performance often follows.”
Legal education teaches legal knowledge, but it does not teach how to interpret unspoken workplace norms. When expectations are unclear, even highly capable lawyers can struggle to understand how success is defined or how to adapt their approach.
Psychological Safety And Sustainable Performance
Psychological safety emerged as a central theme. Many neurodivergent early-career lawyers are hesitant to share what they need at work, particularly if they are unsure how that information will be received or acted upon.
Importantly, creating psychological safety does not require people being forced to share information or complex processes. Consistency, clarity and trust often have a greater impact than formal frameworks.
The discussion also moved beyond simplistic narratives of neurodiversity as a ‘superpower’. While neurodivergent lawyers often demonstrate creativity, originality and resilience, these strengths can come with higher energy demands.
As Lou Earp observes: “If you value the output, you also need to value recovery. That’s how you get sustainable performance - not burnout.” Recognising both contribution and cost is essential for sustainable performance.
Practical Ways Law Firms can Support Neurodivergent Early-Career Lawyers
A common concern among firms is whether meaningful support requires significant time or financial investment. The panellists were clear that inclusive early-careers strategies do not need to be complex or costly. Effective support often begins with practical steps - many of which are outlined in BARBRI’s top tips on building more neuro-inclusive organisations:
- Making expectations explicit rather than relying on assumptions
- Providing consistent, constructive feedback
- Allowing flexibility in training and supervision
- Educating supervisors, mentors and peers
Crucially, adjustments should be framed as performance-enabling, not preferential. Small changes can lead to improved engagement, stronger performance and higher retention.
Why Early Careers Deserve Strategic Focus
Neurodiversity in early legal careers is not a niche issue. It sits at the centre of how firms attract, develop and retain future talent.
Firms that invest in clarity, flexibility and psychological safety at this stage are better positioned to retain high-potential lawyers and build sustainable performance over time. Those that do not, risk losing capable individuals early-often quietly and unnecessarily.
Join the Conversation
These issues will be explored in depth at BARBRI’s upcoming webinar: Neurodiversity in Law: Opportunity, Support Strategies and Retention
Featuring:
- Rachel Boyle, BCLP, Co‑Founder of Legal Neurodiversity Network (LNN) and Founder of Nurturing Neurodivergence
- Lou Earp, Lawfront
- Cait Evans, Chambers and Partners
Designed for HR, L&D, DEI and early-careers leaders, the session brings together data, lived experience and practical insight to support firms in developing and retaining neurodivergent legal talent.
Read more on how you can make your organisation more neuro-inclusive: https://www.barbri.com/resources/5-top-tips-to-make-your-organisation-more-neuro-inclusive
Interested in reading more? Fill out the form to read the full article.