The legal profession continues to face a serious mental health problem. A new national survey found high levels of anxiety, stress, depression, burnout, and problem drinking among U.S. lawyers. Despite years of wellness efforts by law firms and bar associations, many attorneys still say their careers have harmed their mental health.
Nearly 22% of lawyers reported moderate to severe symptoms of depression, according to a study published in the Journal of Affective Disorders by the American Bar Association’s Commission on Lawyer Assistance Programs and lawyer mental health advisory firm Krill Strategies.
The study collected responses from more than 37,000 lawyers, making it the largest study of lawyer wellness to date, according to its authors.
More than 20% of respondents reported moderate to severe anxiety, while nearly 19% reported similar levels of stress. More than 41% said their time in the legal profession had been “detrimental” to their mental health.
Patrick Krill, a study co-author, said law firms, bar associations, and other legal employers had increased mental health efforts since an earlier study raised concerns in 2016. However, he said the latest findings show those efforts have not gone far enough.
“It shows that the issues were worse than we thought,” Krill told Reuters. “The levels of distress were higher than we knew.”
Drinking Remains a Concern
The survey also found a significant level of problematic alcohol use among lawyers. Nearly 42% screened positive for hazardous drinking, while 26% of those respondents reported an even higher level of drinking on an international assessment tool used to measure alcohol use.
The rate of hazardous drinking has declined since the 2016 study. Still, the figures remain notable alongside the high rates of stress, anxiety, and depression.
Earlier research has also found that lawyers experience mental health problems at higher rates than the general U.S. population. The latest study did not make a direct comparison with the broader population.
Younger Lawyers Face Added Pressure
Age played a role in reported mental health challenges. Younger lawyers showed higher rates of distress than older attorneys. The study authors suggested several possible reasons, including the pressure of starting a demanding career, limited professional support, and educational debt.
Work setting also made a difference. Lawyers working in-house at companies or in judicial chambers reported lower levels of distress and burnout than solo practitioners and lawyers in private practice.
Law firm attorneys reported higher rates of hazardous drinking. Litigation lawyers also recorded higher levels of burnout and hazardous drinking. Researchers linked those results in part to the “adversarial exposure” of litigation and long working hours.
Long Hours Raise Burnout Risk
Working hours showed one of the clearest links to stress. Lawyers who worked more than 71 hours per week were about three times as likely to screen positive for moderate to severe stress as lawyers working between 31 and 40 hours.
Even with growing awareness of lawyer wellness, many attorneys remain reluctant to seek help. Concerns about confidentiality and possible damage to their professional reputation were the leading barriers reported by respondents.
The survey points to a persistent problem within the legal profession. Mental health concerns remain widespread across different practice settings, with younger attorneys, heavily overworked lawyers, and those in high-pressure legal roles facing notable risks.
The findings also suggest that workplace wellness efforts need to address the conditions that contribute to distress, including excessive workloads, professional pressure, limited support, and concerns about seeking confidential help.
