Inclusive early careers: why neurodiversity is about environment, not ability
Jonathan Worrell, director of business development at BARBRI, and Rachel Boyle, talent development manager at BCLP, discuss strategies, resources and interventions for supporting neurodivergent lawyers as they enter the profession
As law firms think more seriously about neurodiversity in the workplace, attention is increasingly turning to where support has the greatest long-term impact. BARBRI sat down with Rachel Boyle, talent development manager at BCLP, to discuss why early careers are such a critical point for neurodivergent lawyers — and how firms of any size can create environments where people are able to thrive.
Alongside her role at BCLP, Boyle is also co-founder of Legal Neurodiversity Network and founder of Nurturing Neurodivergence — initiatives focused on improving access, support and outcomes for neurodivergent individuals across the legal profession.
When Boyle talks about neurodiversity, she rarely starts with policies or programmes. She starts with people and with the environment.
“My day job is working with trainees,” she explains. “And over time I noticed that there wasn’t a lot of education in the workplace around how to support them.”
What stood out was not a lack of talent, but a lack of understanding. Trainees who were sometimes seen as ‘lower performing’ often began to thrive once small adjustments were put in place — and once supervisors and partners were better equipped to support them.
“When the environment changed, performance changed,” Boyle says. “People felt more supported. They felt better coming to work every day. And the firm benefited as well.”
Why early careers matter
Boyle believes neurodiversity has become more visible in early legal careers because more people now feel able to share what they need to thrive. “I don’t love the word ‘disclosure’,” she says. “But more people are sharing with early careers or HR teams what they need, because they feel safer doing so. That’s a really positive thing.”
The challenge, she adds, is ensuring that openness translates into everyday working environments.
“Our trainees are our future partners and leaders,” she explains. “If we don’t foster and nurture them early on, we risk losing really talented people before they’ve even had the chance to settle.”
Ability isn’t the issue
Recent data supports what Boyle sees in practice. An SRA report analysing SQE1 and SQE2 results between September 2024 and July 2025 found that candidates with neurodivergent conditions who received reasonable adjustments were not disadvantaged in the assessments, achieving slightly higher mean scores and pass rates overall.
For her, this is reassuring. “It shows that ability isn’t the issue,” she says. “The question is what happens once people enter the workplace.”
Early legal careers are demanding for everyone. Trainees rotate between seats, adapt to new teams, and are expected to pick up unspoken norms quickly. “You’re almost starting a new job every six months,” she explains. “You have to rebuild relationships and understand how each department works — and a lot of that isn’t often made explicit.”
Those invisible cues can be particularly challenging, Boyle explains: “These are things you don’t get taught at law school.”
“Reading the room, understanding expectations — that can be really difficult without support.”
She is careful to stress that inclusion does not mean lowering standards. “The job is still the job and law is demanding. Clients have high expectations,” she says. “Support is about helping people meet those expectations, not removing them.”
Psychological safety and honest conversations
For Boyle, psychological safety is the foundation of inclusive early careers practice, but it has to be grounded in honesty. “People need to feel listened to and validated,” she says. “But it’s also important to be realistic about what support is available and what isn’t.”
She notes that uncertainty can be particularly difficult for neurodivergent individuals, making clarity and expectation-setting essential. “Managing expectations openly really matters,” she explains. “It reduces anxiety and helps build trust.”
In her experience, inclusion is less about complex frameworks and more about human interaction. “Sometimes that gets lost in corporate environments,” she says. “But just having an honest, human conversation can make a huge difference.”
Practical steps that work
Boyle is conscious that many law firms have limited resources and don’t have large HR or early talent teams. Her advice focuses on simple, practical actions that are realistic to implement:
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Having a named point of contact in recruitment, rather than a generic email
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Asking candidates early if they need any adjustments in interviews or assessments
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Being clear about expectations rather than assuming people will ‘just know’
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Encouraging open conversations about ways of working
“People don’t know what support is on offer unless you tell them,” she says.
Mentoring is another low-resource intervention Boyle strongly advocates. Through Nurturing Neurodivergence, which she founded, neurodivergent trainees and junior lawyers are matched with mentors who understand both neurodivergence and legal practice. The programme is now used by firms including Herbert Smith Freehills and Linklaters, with positive feedback around confidence, retention and belonging.
“One mentee I worked with was very close to leaving the profession,” she recalls. “Being able to speak to a partner who shared her experience completely changed her confidence and sense of belonging.”
Through the Legal Neurodiversity Network, she also works with firms of all sizes to share practical approaches that are already working.
Training and choosing the right partners
Boyle is clear that inclusive early careers environments depend on the people around trainees — supervisors, partners and peers.
“Education is key,” she says. “Support doesn’t happen in isolation.”
For her, training and professional development play an essential role, not just for trainees, but for those managing and working alongside them. Importantly, she believes firms benefit most when training solutions are flexible enough to accommodate different learning styles, working patterns and firm sizes.
“Not everyone learns or works in the same way,” she explains. “So flexibility really matters.”
It’s for this reason that Rachel values working with training partners who understand the realities of early legal careers and who can adapt to the needs of both individuals and firms.
“With BARBRI, the online aspect is really helpful,” she says. “That flexibility and adaptability makes a real difference, especially for people who need to work in different ways.”
She also values providers who recognise the link between wellbeing, performance and sustainable careers. “It has to work for the individual and the firm,” she says.
Looking ahead
For Boyle, neurodiversity in early careers is not about doing something “extra”. It’s about creating environments where people can do their best work.
“If we nurture people properly, neurodivergent or not, they will thrive,” she says. “That’s better for individuals, better for clients and better for firms.”
Her focus remains on small, meaningful changes, and on continuing to “chip away” at understanding and education across the profession.
To explore these themes in more depth, Boyle spoke at BARBRI’s recent webinar — which also welcomed panelists Lou Earp, early talent manager at Lawfront, and Cait Evans, global head of talent at Chambers and Partners: Neurodiversity in Law: Opportunity, Support Strategies and Retention. The session explored the practical ways firms can better understand, support and retain neurodivergent trainees, NQs and associates, with a particular focus on early careers, the SQE, and realistic approaches that work for firms of all sizes.
