Stephenson Harwood wins Legal 500 ESG award for ‘Disability/Neurodiversity: Initiative of the Year’

05/05/2026

Law firm Stephenson Harwood has been awarded ‘Disability/Neurodiversity: Best Initiative of the Year’ at the Legal 500 ESG awards.

The Legal 500 ESG Awards champion diversity, inclusion and sustainability in the legal sector. The firm was recognised for its work with Ambitious about Autism, a charity that provides specialist education services, employment programmes and campaigns for policy changes for autistic people in the UK.

The firm first partnered with Ambitious about Autism in 2024 to facilitate Employ Autism internships, providing eight-week paid internship opportunities for autistic young adults within our London business services teams. Since launching the partnership, the firm has delivered two cohorts of internships across 2024 and 2025. Of the interns who have taken part to date, several have progressed into permanent roles, including two who secured roles at the firm following their internships. The partnership has expanded with the development of tailored training and resources to better support autistic young people at the start of their careers.

“We’re really pleased to receive this recognition for our involvement in the Employ Autism programme,” said Freya Lipkin-Connor, D&I and Social Impact Manager, Stephenson Harwood. “At Stephenson Harwood, we want the legal sector to better reflect the world we live in, and that means being intentional about supporting disabled and neurodivergent talent. This award also reflects the commitment of colleagues across our business services teams, who have opened up spaces in their teams and given their time to support and train others. Working with Ambitious about Autism has helped create opportunities for autistic young adults, and encouraged us to challenge assumptions and think differently about inclusion across the firm. We look forward to continuing to work together and seeing the partnership grow.”