Statistics show that, across jurisdictions and practice areas, an increasing proportion of the legal profession struggle with their mental health.

An ALM Intelligence Survey in 2025 in the U.S. of more than 3,100 respondents found that:

• Nearly 69% reported experiencing anxiety
• 33% identified as suffering from depression
• Over 73% said their work environment contributed to their mental health difficulties

A mental health charity for the legal sector in the UK called LawCare similarly reported a 13% increase in lawyers seeking mental health support in 2024 compared to the year before. The International Bar Association (IBA) also found that these patterns and trends exist across jurisdictions, indicating a sector-wide problem, not a cultural or regional discrepancy.

Lawyers are trained to be resilient and rigorous but at what cost? How can this well-being crisis be improved? We explore these themes in this article.

Why the Legal Profession?

It is worth asking why the legal professional seems to be particularly susceptible to mental health issues. Some factors that consistently emerge are:

• Long and unpredictable hours
• Billable hour pressures
• Demanding clients and working on matters that often involve conflict and argument, which can lead to chronic exposure to stress and confrontation
• High stakes with a low margin for error – mistakes can carry serious consequences (financial or reputational for a client), creating ongoing pressure
• “Lawyer brain” mindset – tending towards pessimistic thinking, which hones legal analysis but is also linked to depression (ABA Journal report)
• Perfectionism and control, as many people drawn to the legal profession are high achievers which can raise the psychological cost of failure or ambiguity
• Isolation, through often advising on confidential work, which can leave lawyers without genuine peer support
• Stigma surrounding openly talking about mental health concerns

What Could Be Done to Help the Situation?

Firm culture and leadership play a huge part in cultivating the right environment for lawyers to thrive and feel supported emotionally. Recent Chambers & Partners research demonstrated that culture – specifically motivation, retention and stability – is one of the clearest indicators of how a legal team will perform under pressure. State of the US legal talent market 2026 also shared that “78% of US associates chose their firm based on culture or cultural fit”.

Other ways that the situation could be improved are:

• On a structural level, re-thinking the billable hour and exploring flat fees that don’t reward burnout, reducing a potential direct financial penalty for setting boundaries;
• Enabling flexible and remote working arrangements which can help with both burnout and retention;
• Normalising discussions around stress and burnout, thereby reducing the stigma of asking for help; and
• Engaging in structured support systems, such as industry networks and peer associations, which lead wellness taskforces to help lawyers

Looking Ahead

ALM data from 2025 shows some improvement in mental health standards post-pandemic, with improvements in depression rates. Law firms are increasingly likely to offer leave programmes for mental health-related issues, and Employee Assistance Programmes are also more common.

Importantly, the conversation appears to be shifting, and young lawyers in particular seem more ready now than ever before to discuss their mental health concerns.