Legal Neurodiversity Network

Since the LNN was founded nearly two years ago, our aim has been to drive thought leadership on neuro-inclusive good practice within the #legalservices industry. We have spoken on panels, released articles, hosted multiple events, and participated in a nationwide governmental review. However, we have not produced our own publication on #neuroinclusion … until now! Without further ado, we are delighted to present our first official publication, the Legal Neurodiversity Network's 'Recommendations for optimising retention and career progression for neurodivergent individuals in the legal profession'. The aim of this publication is to provide #legal #employers with a digestible guide to the types of #adjustments they should be implementing within their organisations to maximise the potential of their #neurodivergent employees – and to promote a working environment where everyone feels valued, seen and understood. Our recommendations have been grouped into three keys themes – People, Processes and Place – each of which represent a fundamental part of neuro-inclusive good practice within the #workplace. The publication has taken us nearly a year to complete - starting with our roundtable event hosted at Linklaters in 2023 where we gathered opinions from neurodivergent stakeholders and allies from across the legal industry, followed by months of further discussions between committee members and LNN affiliates, and, finally, painstaking drafting by the LNN committee, with input from our wonderful friends at The Law Society, most notably Chris Seel. We are incredibly proud of what we have accomplished and extremely grateful for all of the hard work put in by everyone who contributed to the report’s completion. We hope you will all take the time to look at our report and consider how it applies to you and your organisation. If you are a legal employee, consider sharing it with any relevant committees or support groups. If you are a manager, consider showing it to HR or to your higher-ups. And, if you are a senior manager or part of the leadership team, please take the time to read and reflect on the contents, and consider how you can reasonably, and feasibly, implement some (if not all!) of our recommendations. We will be hosting a clinic-style event next month at Herbert Smith Freehills, where we will be discussing the report in more detail and sharing practical tips on how to implement our recommendations. We hope that by bringing employers together to discuss their progress, everyone will feel empowered to continue on their individual paths towards neuro-inclusion. Ultimately, we hope that by building inter-organisational support and consensus, our recommendations will quickly become accepted practice within the legal industry. #neurodiversity #neurodiversityinlaw #LNN

We've received several requests for the "facts and figures" slides about #parents-#carers we showed on the screens at our LNN event at Freshfields on 17 October, which focused on how legal services organisations can support their populations of parent-carers for #neurodivergent dependents. We're delighted to share them here. The data the slides contain paints a complex and often depressing picture of the realities faced by many parent-carers largely as a result of challenges faced supporting their dependents in the faces of support systems and processes that are from optimal. Without downplaying this reality, we also want to emphasise - as was shared by the panellists and attendees at our event - that parent-carers also experience lots of joy, pride, laughter and excitement as well. Our focus in spotlighting this topic is to encourage greater understanding and empathy, and in so doing to advance the conversation among employers on how best to support this demographic and access the immense range of skills and experience it has to offer our sector - just like we do for neurodivergent individuals working in or looking to access legal roles. We hope these data points may be useful for your own internal #NeurodiversityInclusion discussions. Lastly, keep a watch out for a summary of the ideas and recommendations on this theme that we are collating from the outcomes of this event - coming soon!

📢New neurodiversity offering with Bupa. Our enhanced neurodiversity cover will give our colleagues access to a range of assessments for ADHD, autism, dyslexia, dyscalculia, and dysgraphia through their GP. ❔Why is this important?   Receiving a formal diagnosis of a neurodivergent condition can be an empowering step, giving our colleagues the clarity in understanding their experiences and the confidence to seek the right support.   Neuro-inclusion is a core tenant of our culture, and we're committed to creating an inclusive workplace where all our colleagues can be themselves and thrive.

In continuing celebration of #ADHDAwarenessMonth, we are delighted to share this article co-written by LNN committee members, JJ Thompson, Beth Try and Flora Caroline Sitwell, and #LNN friend, Daniel Callaghan, discussing how aspects of their ADHD benefit them in the workplace. This article is aimed at raising #awareness of the unique capabilities that people with #ADHD often have - traits that can be harnessed by employers to give them a competitive business edge. Thank you so much to our wonderful contributors for sharing your insights with us 🙏 #Neurodiversity #Law #NeurodiversityAwareness #ADHDAwareness

To mark International Stammering Awareness Day, we are proud to share this article written by Nicholas Fischer, an IP/Patent Litigation Senior Associate at Freshfields. Stammering (also known as stuttering) is a difference in the way a person speaks. It is characterised by the repeated use of a sound or word, getting stuck (or blocked) on a particular word, or prolonging certain words or sounds in a noticeable way. There is a misconception that stammering is a speech flaw, when in actuality it is simply a speech difference - one that many people have - and, crucially, it does not prevent the person with a stammer from being an excellent communicator. Reflecting on this year's theme - 'The Power of Listening' - Nick shares his thoughts on how there is often a focus on speed and fluency when considering what effective communication looks like within the legal world. However, this perception can overlook other equally important aspects of communication, such as vulnerability and openness. As Nick points out: "Communication is about connection, vulnerability, and openness; and you can’t hide any of these qualities when you have a stammer.” We would like to thank Nick for writing this powerful article for us to share. Special thanks also to JJ Thompson for helping to coordinate the production of Nick's article. 🙏 #InternationalStammeringAwarenessDay #Stammering #Neurodiversity

Over lunchtime on Thursday 17 October we held our latest thematic event at the 100 Bishopsgate London headquarters of Freshfields and it was fantastic! After previous sessions centring the different experiences of neurodivergent individuals working in #LegalServices, this time we shone a spotlight on the industry's population of parents and #carers of neurodivergent dependents - reflecting our belief that a truly holistic #neuroinclusion strategy considers both demographics (and the clear intersection between them). The amazing attendance (around 80 in-person and almost 100 more online) and fantastic feedback we've received subsequently suggests you all agree that this is a valuable topic for us to highlight! We heard an excellent panel featuring George Swan, Caroline Withers, Alia Lewis, Peter Pears and James Smither set the scene for us talking about their amazing children, and some of the challenges balancing looking after them and their interests with pursuing a busy and successful legal career can create. Then we heard from everyone via a roundtable discussion on the same themes, also surfacing ideas for what employers in our sector can do (more of) to support their parent-carer populations. The sense of connection and empathy these conversations created was powerful for everyone who participated. Watch out for a forthcoming publication in which we'll try to summarise the ideas and recommendations that emerged from these valuable interactions! As several people have requested them, we'll also share the slides that were on display at the event with various statistics about carers and their working experiences in the UK. As always, we'd like to convey our thanks to our generous hosts Freshfields, its neurodiversity and events teams and in particular Lee-Ann Demarzo for all her help with the planning and logistics, to Chris Seel and The Law Society for endorsing and publicising the session, and to everyone who joined us in-person or via Teams. If you don't want to miss our next events, make sure you enable alerts for our LinkedIn page or join our mailing-list to hear first what's coming up and where (as our LNN nationwide tour is also set to add extra dates)! We'll see you soon!

We are so proud to share that we have been nominated for The Women and Diversity in Law Awards! It is truly an honour to be recognised within this group of individuals, teams, businesses and not-for-profits. Read more about the list of nominees here: https://lnkd.in/eciqMNPM Rachel Boyle Beth Try Concetta Dalziel JJ Thompson James Smither Richard Fisk Freya Cumpsty Fiona Fleming Penny Terndrup Flora Caroline Sitwell Freya Cumpsty Martin Whitehorn Zamaris Saxon Chris Seel #womeninlaw #diversity #mentalhealth #LGBT+ #diversityequityinclusion

We are delighted to share "Be prepared: A letter to my younger self about the menopause" written by LNN member, Jacqui Timmins, on how to prepare for, and cope with, the menopause. Jacqui is a late-diagnosed autistic women and former Pinsent Masons partner, who has had an extremely successful career in law and now works as the Director of Hawk and Heath Limited. In her article (written to her younger 30-year-old self) Jacqui tries to prepare her younger self for what lies ahead, to warn her of some of the things she is likely to feel, but to reassure her that, provided she apply some simple strategies, there is nothing to fear. We hope this article reassures other neurodivergent women who are going through, or will go through, the menopause that everything will be okay, and that you are definitely not alone! Thank you so much Jacqui for sharing this incredibly personal and thoughtful article. #WorldMenopauseDay #Menopause #Law #Neurodiversity #NeurodiversityAwareness #Autism #AutismAwareness #LNN

In honour of World Menopause Day, our wonderful LNN Committee Member and successful Leadership Coach, Penny Terndrup, explores the menopause through an #ADHD lens. In her article, Penny explains what ADHD is and some of its key characteristics. She also explores why many women with ADHD are undiagnosed or misdiagnosed in early life, owing to a male-centered diagnostic criteria and many ADHD womens' disposition to "mask" their symptoms. Penny discusses how the menopause impacts ADHD women, reflecting not just on her own experience but also the experiences of her friends and colleagues who have ADHD. She finishes with some excellent advice on how ADHD women can manage the menopause, and issues closing words of encouragement to speak to people you trust and access the help you need if you are going through the menopause. We wholeheartedly echo Penny's words and thank her so much for writing this amazing article for us and our network to read and reflect on. 🙏 #WorldMenopauseDay #Menopause #NeurodiversityAwareness #ADHDAwareness #masking #law #LNN

Today we are celebrating World Menopause Day 🌺 🙌 #Menopause is a significant physiological transition that most #women will go through at some point during their lives - despite this, it rarely receives attention in the media and is woefully understudied within the medical community. There is also a severe lack of understanding of how it impacts women from different #minority groups, including women who are #neurodivergent. This is a huge shame because - as recent articles have shown - the menopause can be particularly challenging for neurodivergent women, exacerbating many of their neurodiverse traits, such as concentration and emotional regulation, causing many of them to struggle significantly. To raise #awareness on how #neurodiversity intersects with the menopause, we are proud to share two articles written by LNN members who have both been through the menopause and who have lived experience of neurodiversity. Importantly, both pieces share strategies on how the menopause and neurodiversity can be managed together. A huge thanks to Penny Terndrup and Jacqui Timmins for sharing your powerful personal insights. 🙏 💟 #WorldMenopauseDay #MenopauseAwareness #NeurodiversityAwareness #LNN #Law