This week, LawCare has launched two new surveys of mental health and wellbeing in the legal sector. In this edition, Dr Emma Jones (Academic Lead on the surveys) traces some of the developments around wellbeing in law over the last few years and explains the ‘what, why and how’ of these surveys.
In 2021, LawCare launched its Life in the Law 2020/21 report. This summarised the results of a ground-breaking survey exploring the wellbeing of individual legal professionals. If you follow LawCare’s work, or even just read the legal press, you’ve probably come across some of the ‘headlines’ from the report. These included findings that participants were collectively at high risk of burnout, that 69% had experienced mental ill-health in the past year, and that levels of work intensity were relatively high.
Of course, this does not mean that the experience of all participants was problematic in terms of wellbeing. Some of the benefits and rewards of legal practice were also highlighted. However, the report and its findings clearly demonstrated the need to prioritise wellbeing within the legal profession and challenge aspects of the prevailing culture within law.
Several years on, it’s important to consider whether this call has been heeded: How is life in the law now?
Crisis? What crisis?
To understand recent developments, it’s important to be aware of the starting point. A decade ago, there was relatively little research undertaken into wellbeing in the legal profession, particularly in a UK-context. A combination of factors contributed to this lack of acknowledgment.
The notion of ‘wellbeing’ was arguably less well-known and discussed within society generally. The legal sector has also traditionally been uncomfortable in dealing with emotions and wellbeing, with learning to ‘think like a lawyer’ often being synonymous with ignoring or suppressing feelings. This approach can lead to wellbeing and mental health being stigmatised. Indeed, in LawCare’s 2021 report only 56.5% of respondents who had experienced mental ill-health had talked about it at work, often due to perceived stigma.
Without evidence on wellbeing within law, it was easier for individuals and key stakeholders to ignore, or even deny, the prevalence of such issues. Narratives around individuals being ‘unsuited’ for law or having ‘chosen’ to put their career first also contributed to this approach. However, as we enter 2025, we are in a position where there is clear international and national evidence that lawyer wellbeing is a key issue. The International Bar Association’s 2021 Global Study of Mental Wellbeing in the Legal Profession is one example of this. Drawn together, this work by academics, psychologists, legal practitioners and others now presents a strong ethical and business case for prioritising wellbeing – one that individuals and stakeholders ignore at their peril!
There is also clear evidence that wellbeing isn’t an individual issue to do with ‘lack of resilience’ or ‘weakness’. Instead, the research has uncovered wider structural, cultural and organisational challenges within the law. This is something reflected in Life in the Law 2025 which includes a survey for individuals, and also one for organisations. It gives lawyers and their employers an opportunity to tell LawCare what needs to improve, and also to share existing good practice.
Catalyst or blip?
The survey data for LawCare’s original Life in the Law report was collected during 2020/21, during the Covid-19 global pandemic. Respondents told us about their experiences of shifting to largely remote working, experiences of redundancy or furlough, and worries around finances and health. At the same time, there was a sense of optimism too. An idea that the enforced shifts of the time may lead to longer lasting positive change, for example, with more flexible working practices and greater understanding of employees’ needs.
Fast forward to 2025 and the lockdowns, social distancing and stockpiling of toilet paper can seem like a distant memory. Was Covid-19 a catalyst for improving wellbeing in law? There are some indications that instead there has been a drive towards returning ‘back to normal’ as quickly as possible. Several changes have lasted, such as some organisations allowing team members to spend more time working from home. However, they have sometimes became diluted or adjusted towards pre-Covid norms. For example, only allowing one day working from home per week, specifying a particular day, and/or requiring some form of online ‘check-ins’.
Life in the Law 2025 gives the opportunity for LawCare to obtain a snapshot of what post-Covid practices look like in the legal sector. As well as exploring how they are impacting upon individuals and their career plans, and the priorities and strategies of organisations within law.
Life in the Law 2025: What next?
The results of LawCare’s two surveys will provide additional evidence and enable comparisons with 2020/21. They will also give new insights into the approach organisations take to wellbeing. In doing so, they will draw upon academically rigorous standardised measures for concepts such as psychological safety and burnout. They will also provide opportunities for individuals and organisations to tell their own stories in their own words.
Life in the law is complex and diverse. However, across the sector there is great scope for developing and enhancing the wellbeing of individuals, organisations and other stakeholders (such as clients). By informing the work of LawCare and others, Life in the Law 2025 will ensure that this work continues to evolve and flourish.
By Dr Emma Jones , Life in the Law 2025’s lead researcher from the University of Sheffield.
Please take part in Life in the Law 2025
There are two separate surveys: one for individuals in the legal sector, and another for legal organisations, such as law firms, chambers, and in-house legal departments.
Complete the Life in the Law 2025 survey for individuals
Complete the Life in the Law 2025 survey for organisations
The surveys are open until Friday 21 March.