Landmark survey of 533 women reveals a profession haemorrhaging talent through structural neglect
A damning new report has laid bare the scale of a wellbeing crisis gripping women working across England and Wales’s legal profession and the findings make for uncomfortable reading at every level of the industry.
Published in June 2026 by law firm RPC, legal mental health charity LawCare, performance health consultancy Goodbody Wellness Co, and gender equality project Next 100 Years, Pressure Points: Mapping Women’s Wellbeing in Law draws on responses from 533 women working in law firms, chambers, and in-house legal teams. Respondents completed the survey between March and April 2026.
The headline figure is stark: 85% of respondents said they had experienced health and wellbeing issues affecting their work over the previous five years. Stress topped the list of reported conditions at 83%, followed by anxiety at 71%. Burnout and persistent fatigue each affected just over half of all participants. Depression was cited by 32%, and nearly half 46% named caring responsibilities as a direct contributor to their health problems.
Yet what may prove equally alarming is what women are choosing not to say. When asked whether they felt able to openly discuss health concerns at work without facing negative consequences, only 35% agreed. A larger group 43% actively disagreed. Of the 70% who reported experiencing ongoing exhaustion frequently or almost constantly, 65% stated that they did not feel comfortable discussing it with their employer.
The research identifies the billable hours model, long working hours, and poor line management as core structural drivers. Caring responsibilities disproportionately carried by women emerged as the single biggest challenge cited, named by 42% of respondents. Poor leadership ranked second, at 16%.
Support provisions exist but fall short where women’s health is specifically concerned. Only 47% of respondents worked in organisations with a menopause policy. Fertility support and pregnancy loss provisions were available to around one in three. Paid carers’ leave was accessible to just 33%.
The consequences extend beyond individual suffering. Sixty-seven per cent of respondents said they had considered moving jobs or taking a career break directly because of health and wellbeing pressures a finding the report’s authors describe as preventable organisational loss.
Mark Evans, President of the Law Society of England and Wales, called for systemic change in his foreword, warning that without urgent action “the legal sector will lose out on the skills and talent that women bring to the workplace.”
The report sets out ten recommendations, including reforming billable hours models, establishing sector-wide minimum standards, and making flexible working a default rather than an exception.