Reflections of a Neurodiverse Judge, Michelle Brewer a Judge of the Upper Tribunal (Administrative Appeals Chamber).

Neurodiversity Celebration Week is, for me, both a recognition and a beginning. As more judges speak openly about their neurodiversity and reasonable adjustments, we come to better understand what genuine inclusion should look like in our working lives. I am a judge with AuDHD, ADHD with some autistic (mainly sensory) traits and like many who receive a diagnosis in midlife, it brought both clarity and reflection. It did not change my standards; it changed how I meet them.

It also prompted me to reflect on traits that have long supported my professional life. Hyperfocused attention, lateral thinking and curiosity in problem-solving served me well at the Bar and continue to serve me as a judge. These strengths often sit alongside the challenges, and it is important that we move beyond narrow preconceptions of what labels mean. No two neurodivergent people will present in the same way, and recognising the diversity within neurodiversity is central to true inclusion.

For many judicial office holders diagnosed later in life, this is not a continuation of an old conversation; it is the start of one. I advocated for my children’s adjustments long before I recognised what I might need myself. A classroom, however, is not a courtroom, and adjustments do not map neatly from one to the other. Understanding how different neurotypes work, and what reduces unnecessary barriers, is part of an ongoing journey many of us are only now beginning.

I continue to refine the conditions in which I work at my best. Hearing-based, submissions heavy cases can demand sustained concentration across dense material. I am looking at adopting live transcription on screen as an added assurance mechanism, supporting the careful and consistent treatment of complex submissions across a hearing. Short, welltimed breaks also help, and in my experience, they enhance the clarity and efficiency of submissions for everyone.

Visibility also matters. Accounts from neurodivergent practitioners, including an anonymous female barrister who wrote in Counsel magazine about fearing reputational harm if she disclosed her identity, stayed with me. They made me consider the value of being open where I can be. If my own visibility makes it fractionally easier for someone else to feel they belong, then that has value. But disclosure must always remain a personal choice. Neuroinclusion is not about expecting anyone to reveal more than they wish; it is about creating conditions where they do not have to hide.

The wider system is shifting too. The Judicial Appointments Commission is implementing recommendations on neuroinclusive recruitment, remaining committed to refining processes so candidates can demonstrate merit on a fair and properly supported basis. The Judicial Diversity and Inclusion Strategy 2026–2030 places inclusive practice and reasonable adjustments, including for disabled and neurodivergent judges, at its centre. New networks, including a UK Association of Judicial Office Holders with Disabilities, are helping to ensure no one navigates these issues alone or through a single lens.

For me, as a member for the Senior President of Tribunals Diversity Taskforce, a simple question sits at the heart of Neurodiversity Celebration Week: where do neurodivergent colleagues still feel they must assimilate rather than belong? The answer will differ for each of us, but the work of finding it is collective. Our judiciary is stronger when all of us can contribute as we are, not despite our differences, but with them.

These reflections were drafted for the Judicial Appointments Commission and Judicial Office to mark Neurodiversity Celebration Week 2026.

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