The leaders of the Law Society and Bar Council have marked World Mental Health Day by highlighting research by a leading legal charity that revealed poor mental health among UK legal professionals.
LawCare’s Life in the Law 2025 report found that nearly 60% of respondents reported poor mental wellbeing, while almost 79% regularly worked beyond their contracted hours. Some 56% said they could see themselves leaving their current workplace within the next five years, with 32% reporting they could leave the sector entirely.
New Law Society president Mark Evans said the report offered an opportunity for lawyers to take steps towards a healthier future, noting that many were dealing with heavy workloads and a work culture that may stigmatise being open and honest about mental health.
“Healthy lawyers are vital to a healthy sector,” he said. “When mental health and wellbeing are not prioritised, it can lead to serious, financial, reputational and ethical consequences, ranging from increased error levels, loss of trust from clients and the public, as well as high rates of sick leave and staff turnover.”
Evans has made wellbeing a central focus of his presidential year, stating he would speak out about mental health and engage with members and partner organisations in various formats.
Writing on LinkedIn, Elizabeth Rimmer, LawCare’s CEO, welcomed Evans’s “commitment to wellbeing, inclusion and community” and said the response to the report had been motivating, given a “willingness to collaborate and a genuine commitment to the cause of making the law better for our people”.
Chair of the Bar Council Barbara Mills KC also welcomed the report, saying: “We need to take wellbeing to the next level across the legal profession; changing attitudes and ensuring it becomes a core part of successful practice.”
She added: “The data from the latest LawCare report shows just how important this work is, and, as chair, wellbeing is one of my priorities to improve the culture for the better.”
The Bar Council, she said, is holding an event in London in November to discuss the topic, building on its own wellbeing data, drawn from a rolling survey of barristers’ working lives.
LawCare is a supporting partner of the Women and Diversity in Law Awards, which are hosted by GLP, nominations for which are now open. Previous awards have highlighted the work of lawyers supporting welfare, wellbeing and mental health issues across a broad range of categories.
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