老司机午夜福利

Despite numerous challenges facing the legal industry, the majority of solicitors working in independent law firms are satisfied with their jobs and confident about their futures. However, embedded within their jobs is the issue of stress. While many simply consider stress to be part of their job description, over three-quarters of the solicitors we spoke with think that stress and mental wellbeing are significant issues for the industry.

Indeed, with almost two-thirds of this year鈥檚 respondents currently experiencing high levels of stress, we need to wonder how much is too much? With workplaces around the country turning their attention to the issue of employee wellbeing, putting programmes into place to help support employee welfare and combat stress, is it time for the legal profession to follow suit?

Our findings from the Bellwether Report 2019: Stress in the Legal Profession told us:

What are solicitors鈥� thoughts on stress and the impact on the legal profession?

鈥淭here鈥檚 competition and constant pressure. It鈥檚 all about ticking the right boxes and saying the right things. I can鈥檛 see things changing.鈥�

In this report, we explore how stress fits into the job of a solicitor and whether stress levels, which seem high overall, are a major problem for firms, or just part of the same 鈥榖usiness as usual鈥� attitude. After all, isn鈥檛 stress a hindrance, not a benefit to effective, efficient working practices? Is a change in mindset necessary for solicitors to flourish, or is stress just inevitable?