Mental health and wellbeing charity LawCare says it experienced a 13% increase in support requests last year compared to 2023, with 2024’s number its highest on record. Stress and anxiety (39%) were the most common reasons people contacted the charity, followed by career concerns (15%) and workplace bullying and harassment (10%).
In it’s recently published 2024 impact report LawCare outline the work of the charity in supporting legal professionals and the wider legal community deal with long hours, heavy workloads, and high-pressure environments still embedded in its culture. As the legal landscape evolves, these pressures aren’t easing.
The 1,037 cases the charity dealt with was a record number and a 24% increase on 2021. While solicitors, whether in private practice or in-house, made up around 50% of the enquiries, LawCare is a service for all and the report identifies trainees and paralegals, barrister and wider staff accounted for 25% of the volume of support. Much of its work is done over the phone; an average helpline call lasts 28 minutes, but a 35% increase in people accessing the live online webchat points to a changing demographic and evolution of the service.
Mental health remains a major challenge in the legal sector, with To better understand the mental health of people in the legal sector, LawCare is running its Life in the Law 2025 research. It will help identify why people may be experiencing poor mental health and what practical steps individuals and organisations can take to prevent it. There are two separate surveys: one for individuals working in the legal sector and another for organisations, such as law firms, chambers, and in-house legal teams. Take part here:
Elizabeth Rimmer, Chief Executive of LawCare, said:
“At LawCare, we believe real, positive change happens when we come together as a community. 2024 was our busiest year ever, with people reaching out to us for support more than 1,000 times. This shows both the growing pressures in the legal sector and the increasing courage to ask for help.
Behind every number is a person – a junior lawyer battling imposter syndrome, a lawyer facing burnout, a business support professional struggling with anxiety. These stories are why our work matters. Our goal is simple but vital: to create a legal sector where mental health is a priority and everyone can thrive.”
