On 14 October 2025, we welcomed guests to Howdens for the launch of Life in the Law 2025. The event brought together leaders, practitioners, insurers, educators and mental health wellbeing champions from across the legal sector.
The focus wasn’t just on the findings of the report, but on practical steps we can take to make the legal sector healthier and more sustainable. The discussion was chaired by Elizabeth Rimmer, with a panel made up of Dr Emma Jones (University of Sheffield), Lucinda Soon, and Mark Evans, President of the Law Society.
Setting the scene
Opening the discussion, Elizabeth highlighted the persistent gap between increased awareness of the need to protect mental health and meaningful change. Many organisations are doing more, but wellbeing scores haven’t improved. This shows we need to look more closely at why these efforts aren’t having the impact they should.
Emma then shared the report’s key findings: wellbeing levels remain low, workloads are heavy, burnout risk is high, and psychological safety is lacking. These are persistent and long-term issues that require a shift from short-term or reactive measures to more systemic, preventative approaches.
Prevention
A big theme of the discussion was shifting from reacting to problems to preventing them.
Lucinda Soon noted that while there has been a small increase in the number of managers getting appropriate training, overall figures remain low. Supporting managers properly and managing workloads better could make a big difference.
Mark raised concerns that many in the sector are not taught how to manage others, and that wellbeing is sometimes treated like a box-ticking exercise. Many organisations don’t have enough data to know what’s working. He called for stronger leadership and a real culture shift to make wellbeing part of everyday working life.
Supporting the next generation
The panel also discussed the experience of younger lawyers and those entering the profession, many of whom are stepping into a sector that still normalises long hours and high workloads.
Emma highlighted the need for legal education to prepare students for the realities of working life, not just the technical demands. She emphasised the importance of empowering the next generation to make healthy choices and building supportive structures early in their careers to stop unhealthy habits from becoming the norm.
Leadership, supervision and culture
All three panellists agreed that leadership plays a critical role in creating change. Culture is shaped at the top, and leaders must be equipped with the skills, confidence and support to model healthy behaviours.
Lucinda emphasised the importance of viewing supervision as more than just a technical exercise. She highlighted the value of taking time to guide, educate and listen.
Mark reflected on his own experiences of long working hours earlier in his career, underlining the importance of leaders setting the tone and leading by example. He stressed that leaders often want to support their teams but need the right tools and structures to do so effectively.
Small steps, lasting change
Throughout the discussion, the panel returned to a simple but powerful message: change does not need to be overwhelming. Starting with small, practical actions can create meaningful and lasting impact over time. Lucinda suggested that something as simple as a 5-minute conversation with colleagues asking how things are/workload is could be an easy thing to start with.
Preventative approaches embedded in everyday practice were highlighted as an effective way to build momentum. Attendees were encouraged to reflect on their own sphere of influence and how small shifts in daily working life can make a real difference.
A collective effort
The event closed with a clear message of collaboration and shared responsibility. No single organisation can create the cultural change needed across the legal sector alone – it will require leadership, commitment, and sustained effort from everyone. we all need to have these conversations with people who are currently less interested to achieve meaningful change.
The panel emphasised that the tools and knowledge to make change already exist; the task now is to embed these practices and make them part of everyday working life.
