It’s not exactly news to say that the collective mental health of the legal profession has been strained for years — but are things starting to get better? The results of the ALM 2025 Mental Health Survey seem to indicate that while some severe stressors remain, things may finally be looking up for lawyers and legal professionals.
The 2025 ALM survey was administered to more than 3,100 respondents working at law firms of all sizes (though most of the responses came from Biglaw attorneys), and for the first time since the end of the pandemic, mental health is “measurably” improving among lawyers. Here are some additional details, from the American Lawyer:
The reported rate of depression fell three points to 33%, the lowest it’s been since 2019. Although the rate of anxiety fell slightly to 68.7% of respondents, just 43% felt that mental health issues and substance abuse were “at a crisis level” within the profession, a decline of six points from 2024. Numerous other indicators of positive mental health showed up in the 2025 sample, thought it’s worth noting that the survey received a slightly larger share of responses from law firm associates than usual.
Despite positive signals, the biggest stressors at law firms remained, and some even got worse, according to respondents. Despite mostly flat demand in 2024, the percentage of respondents who felt that billable hour pressures were negatively impacting their mental health rose by nearly four points to 65.5%.
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While the billable hour still ranks high on the list of complaints, a new challenge concerning ever-increasing rate hikes has emerged, which is putting additional pressure on lawyers and staff. As noted by Am Law, because clients are paying more, they are expecting more of their counsel when it comes to their time and availability. “You cannot charge top dollar in BigLaw and expect clients who are paying top dollar not to have incredible demands,” said one senior associate. A Biglaw equity partner echoed those thoughts, saying, “[F]irms that continue to raise billable rates to absurd levels are making it worse because our clients tend to feel like they can demand more than is humanly possible from us because we charge them so much for our time.”
More signs of improvement in mental health were reported by respondents, according to the American Lawyer, with “subtle” changes trending positive overall. Here are the details:
About 73% of attorneys and staff said they felt their work environment contributed to mental health issues, a drop of six percentage points from 2024.
Self-identified rates of drug and alcohol abuse fell as well, as did lawyers and staff reporting a sense of failure or self-doubt. Feelings of helplessness, detachment and lost motivation also declined by a few points each, although a significant portion of 2025 respondents (48.4%) still identified as losing motivation.
Asked which feelings they regularly experienced over the past year, lawyers and staff in early 2025 felt less frustration and under-appreciation, and more gratitude. However, 37.4% of lawyers and staff said they felt sadness on a regular basis, a slight uptick from 2024.
With the rule of law now in danger thanks to the Trump administration, we were beginning to wonder whether ALM delved into this topic in its survey. We found just one question related to the sour political environment in our country. In the survey results, it was revealed that a little more than 70% of respondents’ mental health is affected by “political polarization.” Surely this is a contributor to lawyers’ mental health, in one way or another.
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Thankfully, law firms are taking mental health concerns more seriously than in the past, with about 36% of attorneys and staff reporting the ability to use all of their vacation time (a six-point increase), and 41% reporting that their firms would allow extended leave for mental health and substance abuse issues (a five-point increase).
What does the mental health picture look like at your law firm? Please feel free to text us (646-820-8477) or email us (subject line: “[Firm Name] Mental Health”). All responses will be kept anonymous. Thank you.
Rate Hikes and the ‘Obsession with Infinite Growth’: Concerns Temper Progress in Mental Health Data [American Lawyer]
Mental Health by the Numbers: The 2025 Survey Infographic [American Lawyer]
Staci Zaretsky is a senior editor at Above the Law, where she’s worked since 2011. She’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on Bluesky, X/Twitter, and Threads, or connect with her on LinkedIn.