The American Bar Association, through its Commission on Lawyer Assistance Programs (CoLAP), and Krill Strategies, a Pittsburgh-based legal advisory firm, released a new nationwide study on lawyer mental health and burnout that reveals substantial distress, burnout and hazardous alcohol use within the legal sector. This article provides a high-level overview of the findings.[1][2]
I. Background and Context
The research provides a 10-year update to and significantly expands upon the landmark 2016 ABA-Hazelden Betty Ford study (“2016 study”). This research represents the largest study of mental health and well-being in the legal profession ever conducted, analyzing data from a national random sample of approximately 37,000 actively licensed lawyers across all practice areas and practice settings.
The 2016 study was conducted in a different manner than the current study. While the researchers used some of the same screening tools, there were significant differences having to do with sample size, randomization, and something called “survey-weighting” based on available demographic data. So comparing the 2016 study results to the current study results is like comparing apples to oranges. The researchers caution that differences in reported percentage findings do not reflect changes over time [emphasis added]. I am therefore not referencing specific percentages from the 2016 study results.
This study was designed to offer critically important insights into current trends, attitudes, and barriers to progress related to mental health and well-being in the legal profession. Some big picture themes remain consistent between the two studies. The mental health and substance use findings are in the same, general ball-park range as the 2016 study, and nothing comes as a shock (at least not to us at the Lawyer Assistance Program). Lawyers still have higher rates of alcoholism and depression than the general public and other professional populations. Lawyers’ fears, primarily regarding confidentiality and reputational harm, remain the top two barriers to seeking help for known issues. The key differences are that this study identifies the primary drivers of mental health distress and shows there is a clear consensus on the need for change within the profession.
Krill states, “This new research meaningfully improves our understanding of the drivers of mental health distress among lawyers and provides reliable empirical evidence of the powerful association between work-related burnout and mental health symptom severity. That is game changing evidence and information to have, and it will allow us to target the problems more effectively.”
II. What the Study Found
Burnout and Its Connection to Mental Health
Burnout is pervasive, with nearly half of all lawyers (47%) screening positive for high burnout, including 16% meeting the threshold for severe burnout. This represents the first national estimate of burnout among lawyers using a scientifically validated self-report measure designed to capture work-related psychological and physical fatigue and exhaustion.
Higher work-related burnout was the dominant predictor of clinically significant depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms, indicating that higher levels of work exhaustion are clearly linked to mental health symptom severity. The relationship is also reciprocal, as depression and stress scores were among the strongest predictors of elevated burnout scores. This combination creates a vicious cycle.
Depression, Anxiety, Stress, and Demographic Variations
Approximately one in three lawyers reported at least mild symptoms of depression (33%), anxiety (27%), or stress (30%). More concerning, approximately one in five experienced symptoms at moderate-to-extremely severe levels: 22% for depression, 20% for anxiety, and 19% for stress. These numbers are concerning, reflecting meaningful distress in a considerable proportion of the workforce.
Consistent with the 2016 study’s findings, younger lawyers continue to experience the highest levels of mental health risk across all measures. The study did not examine why younger lawyers experience greater burnout and mental health distress, and multiple factors may be at work. The study authors identify several areas for further research, including the stress of being new to a demanding profession, fewer established professional relationships and sources of support, educational debt, the demands of starting a family, and the growing impact of artificial intelligence on the practice of law.
Conversely, also consistent with the 2016 study’s findings, it appears that risks decrease over the long haul, with risk proportionally dropping with age. Krill notes, “There was a protective association with older age that was steep and consistent across all seven outcomes.” The researchers could not determine why older lawyers reported less distress. Several explanations are possible: lawyers who remain in practice as they age may be healthier or more resilient; those experiencing greater distress may be more likely to leave the profession; or lawyers may simply experience less distress as they gain experience and move into later stages of their careers.
There were some notable differences across gender. Men are more likely to experience depression, whereas women are more likely to experience anxiety and stress. Those identifying as ‘other or preferring not to specify gender’ had substantially elevated risk of all three: depression, anxiety, and stress.
Alcohol Use
Alcohol use remains a significant concern among lawyers. The screening tool used asked study participants three questions about the quantity and frequency of their alcohol use. Based on their answers, 42% of lawyers screened positive for “hazardous” drinking patterns. More than one in four lawyers (26%) met an even higher screening threshold, identifying a subgroup at even greater risk from their hazardous drinking patterns. These rates remain strikingly high.
Despite these findings, only 2% of lawyers reported a current alcohol use disorder (“AUD”) diagnosis. An AUD diagnosis generally indicates that the problem came to the attention of a healthcare professional, whether through voluntarily seeking help or circumstances such as a medical emergency. The contrast between the 42% who screened positive for hazardous drinking and the 2% who reported a current AUD diagnosis is striking, although the researchers caution that a positive screening result and an AUD diagnosis measure different things and should not be expected to correspond precisely. The disparity nevertheless raises questions about whether some lawyers recognize potentially problematic drinking and, when they do, whether they are reluctant to seek help. Fear of professional consequences and a culture in which heavy drinking is normalized may contribute to both.
There were some notable differences across race, gender, and age regarding hazardous and higher-risk hazardous alcohol use. White lawyers had the highest rates among the racial and ethnic groups studied. Women scored higher than men. And like the mental health findings, which found younger lawyers at greater risk, younger lawyers scored higher than older lawyers.
Occupational Pressures
Workload. Thanks to studies of non-lawyer populations, we’ve known (and preached!) for a long time that working long hours puts people at much higher risk for developing depression.[3] So it was not surprising to see results indicating that longer hours are associated with significantly elevated risks of moderate-to-severe depression, anxiety, stress, and burnout. With “long” and “exceptionally long” hours, lawyers and their employers may face a “law of diminishing returns” due to significant increases in mental health risks and burnout.
Though uncommon, lawyers working 71+ hours per week demonstrate significantly higher mental health risk compared to those working a more standard 40-hour week:
• Stress levels more than triple, increasing from 14% to 43%.
• High burnout risk hits 67%, meaning two out of three lawyers in this bracket are experiencing significant mental and physical effects of burnout.
• Severe anxiety risk more than doubles compared to standard work hours.
Work-Family Conflict. The demands of legal practice frequently interfere with lawyers’ personal lives, with 36% reporting high or very high levels of conflict between their work and family responsibilities. The effects are particularly pronounced among lawyers already experiencing significant burnout: for those in the top 10% of burnout, high work-family conflict increases the risk of stress by another 16 percentage points. In other words, lawyers who are already exhausted by work may find that competing demands at home leave them little opportunity to recover and recharge, further increasing the risk of mental and physical health problems and potentially affecting their professional performance.
The Litigation Effect. Lawyers who have consistent litigation practices reported higher rates of burnout, depression, anxiety, and stress. Those working exceptionally long hours appear to be at particularly high risk.
Workplace. Where lawyers work also appears to matter. Lawyers in solo practice and private law firms reported higher levels of burnout and mental health distress, while lawyers working in-house or in judicial and academic settings generally reported lower levels.
III. Views of Institutional Support, Calls for Action, and Barriers to Seeking Help
The study also examined how lawyers view the profession’s impact on their well-being, the support available to them, and the need for greater attention to mental health and substance use problems.
• 41% of lawyers reported that their time in the legal profession had been detrimental to their mental health, 21% reported increased alcohol or other drug use attributable to legal-profession stress, and 27% considered leaving the profession due to mental health, burnout, or stress.
• Only 39% believed that their employer was doing enough to support lawyers’ mental health and well-being, and only 25% believed the profession was doing enough.
• 57% reported observing mental health or substance use problems among colleagues “occasionally” or “regularly.”
• 31% reported encountering a legal professional in the past 12 months whose well-being raised concerns about their fitness to practice.
• When asked “How important is it that the legal profession focus greater effort on reducing the incidence of mental health and substance use problems among lawyers?” an unambiguous consensus emerged. 81% of lawyers believe it is either very important (52%), or important (29%) for the profession to do so. An additional 16% believe it is somewhat important.
When discussing the study’s findings, Krill observed, “Lawyers overwhelmingly want more to be done to improve conditions, and that is clearly encouraging.”
While there is a clear consensus on the need for change, lawyers face significant structural and psychological barriers to accessing support.
Awareness vs. Action
Awareness of Lawyer Assistance Programs (LAPs) is high, but awareness does not necessarily translate into seeking help. Three out of four lawyers (75%) reported being familiar with their jurisdiction’s LAP, yet significant barriers remain. Lawyers’ fears are at the root of the two greatest barriers to getting help. More than half (53%) identified concerns about confidentiality as a barrier, while nearly as many (49%) worried that seeking help could damage their professional reputation or career opportunities. Practical constraints also play a role: 35% reported that they simply do not have enough time to seek care. In addition, one in four lawyers (25%) expressed a preference for managing problems on their own. These findings suggest that the obstacles to seeking help are not primarily a lack of awareness that resources exist. Rather, lawyers may know where help is available but remain reluctant or unable to access it due to fears about confidentiality and professional consequences, time pressures, and a tendency toward self-reliance.
In Conclusion
Taken together, these findings make clear that lawyer well-being cannot be viewed solely as an individual problem requiring individual solutions. Burnout is strongly associated with depression, anxiety, and stress, and the study identifies occupational factors—including excessive work hours, work-family conflict, litigation practice, and certain work environments—that are associated with greater risk. While lawyers must take responsibility for their own health and well-being, meaningful progress will also require employers and the profession as a whole to examine the conditions and culture in which lawyers work.
There is reason for optimism. Lawyers themselves overwhelmingly believe the profession should devote greater attention to mental health and substance use problems. We now have better data identifying where the risks lie, what contributes to them, and what continues to keep lawyers from seeking help. The challenge is to put that knowledge to work—reducing unnecessary sources of distress, strengthening lawyer well-being and resilience, and ensuring that lawyers know that confidential help is available when they need it.
[1] For more information and details, please see the full study “When Demands Equal Distress: An Updated Understanding of Lawyer Mental Health and Well-being” published open-access in the Journal of Affective Disorders on Sept. 9, 2026.
[2] For the sake of brevity, reported percentages have been rounded up or down accordingly.
[3] See, e.g., https://www.cnn.com/2012/01/25/health/working-overtime-doubles-depression/