Survey finds burnout, overwork and poor support driving lawyers to quit the profession
A major survey has revealed that one in three people working in legal services are planning to leave the profession within the next five years, raising fresh concerns about wellbeing and sustainability in the sector.
The study, conducted by mental health charity LawCare, also found that almost the same proportion of respondents would not recommend law as a career. More than half of all participants said they had experienced anxiety “often, very often or all the time” over the past year.
Around 1,500 people working across the sector were surveyed in the first quarter of 2025. The results highlight widespread dissatisfaction, with respondents citing relentless work intensity, lack of support, and feeling unsafe in the workplace among the key reasons.
The findings show that 79% of legal workers regularly work beyond their contracted hours, while 8.5% estimated they worked at least 21 hours’ overtime every week. Nearly a fifth reported experiencing bullying, harassment or discrimination in the past year.
Elizabeth Rimmer, chief executive of LawCare, said the profession had reached a critical point. “We have it in our hands to transform the way we work and build a future where people are supported to perform at their best and build sustainable careers,” she said.
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“The path to prioritising mental health and wellbeing before us is clear. 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 survey also raised concerns about management preparedness within the profession. Only 55% of those with managerial duties said they had received any training in how to support staff effectively. Just 31% said their own performance targets or billable hour requirements had been adjusted to reflect their additional responsibilities.
LawCare has called for urgent action to prevent burnout by managing workloads more carefully, rethinking billing targets and incentives, and addressing the culture of long hours. The charity urged firms to prioritise people management, properly evaluate the effectiveness of wellbeing programmes, and foster a culture where staff feel valued and supported.
In her foreword to the LawCare report, the lady chief justice, Baroness Carr of Walton-on-the-Hill, stressed that the sector’s future depends on supporting those who work within it.
“The long-term sustainability of the legal sector relies not only on attracting and retaining people, but on fostering a culture where people can grow, contribute fully and choose to stay,” she wrote.
“Prioritising mental health is essential if we are to build a sector that is inclusive, resilient and fit for the future. Those in senior positions across legal education, regulation and practice can commit to actions to make meaningful change. The findings in this research challenge us to lead with empathy, to listen and to act with purpose. Our collective future depends on both innovation in how we deliver legal services and how we support the people who deliver them.”
The report adds weight to calls for systemic reform in the profession. With a third of workers considering leaving, the challenge for firms, regulators and educators will be to act swiftly to improve conditions and ensure law remains an attractive, viable career path.