Mental Health of Legal Profession

The Life Squared Trust commissioned a 3-year longitudinal study to measure mental health and wellbeing in the legal profession with Professor Aaron Jarden, Melbourne University. The report  is now available.

The current study was conducted over three yearly time points (March 2021 - April 2023). There were 792 respondents from the leading law firms and the Law Society, as well as law students from university law faculties in New Zealand. Only 238 of these completed the survey at all three time points.

Among the findings were the following:

1. New Zealand lawyers and law students had worse illbeing in terms of greater depression, anxiety, stress, and psychological distress in comparison to New Zealand samples and international samples of lawyers and other professions. They also had lesser well-being in terms of lower levels of flourishing, resilience, sense of competence, and mental health (which includes both emotional and psychological well-being).
2. Lawyers with high levels of well-being were typically older (aged ≥37 years), and a greater proportion were female and in a relationship. Similarly, those who had higher ill-being (i.e., scored higher on depression, anxiety, and stress) were younger. A similar pattern of results was found among law students. 
3. Those with high well-being had low levels of well-being, and those with high well-being had much lower levels of well-being. Those with higher work well-being and a sense of self-determination reported greater general well-being, flourishing and organisational culture, and also reported less depressed mood and were less likely to leave their jobs,
4. In the qualitative analysis, lawyers commonly reported that relationships in their workplace, organisational culture, and flexibility were keys to a good work environment. The pressure and workload were viewed as organisational aspects that should be reduced, and renumeration and communication aspects were seen as features that could be improved.
5. Lastly, there was little change over time, albeit some well-being variables improved slightly over the three years, and anxiety levels decreased slightly. These changes were evident regardless of gender, age, and relationship status.