LawCare’s latest report calls for action on wellbeing
LawCare’s latest Life in the Law report lands with a clear message: act now to protect the future of the legal profession.
Mental health charity, LawCare has published five evidence-based recommendations to build a healthier and more sustainable future for the legal profession.
Findings and practical steps
The findings, gathered between January and March 2025 from individuals and organisations across the sector, paint a stark picture of strain and overwork.
- 56% said they could see themselves leaving their current workplace within the next five years, with 32% saying they could leave the sector entirely.
- Almost 60% report poor mental wellbeing.
- 79% regularly work beyond contracted hours.
- Just 31% of managers say they are given time to properly manage or train others.
Five years on from its first report, LawCare says these findings raise urgent questions about the long-term sustainability of the profession. They also highlight the need for strong leadership and decisive action to embed mental health and wellbeing into everyday legal practice.
The report sets out five clear, practical steps that can be taken now to build a healthier sector.
- Prevent burnout by actively managing workloads, rethinking targets and incentives, and challenging the culture of long hours.
- Prioritise and value managing people.
- Embed hybrid and flexible working practices that meet diverse needs.
- Evaluate programmes and activities that support mental health and wellbeing at work to ensure they deliver real impact.
- Equip people joining the sector with the skills and knowledge they need for a sustainable legal career.
A call for leadership and courage
Elizabeth Rimmer, CEO of LawCare, said: “Now is the time for leaders to act with courage: move away from practices that normalise overwork, which risk driving people out of the sector, and take the path to a better future by valuing people management.”
The charity is calling on every member, at all levels of the profession to step up and take action to create a sector that values its people as its greatest strength.
It is also developing a programme of resources and training to help leaders and organisations put these recommendations into practice, set to launch in 2026.
Join LawCare’s free webinar next month to continue the conversation, and read the full Life in the Law 2025 report here.