Nearly half of the U.K.'s top lawyers have experienced mental health-related illnesses such as depression and stress due to their work, Legal Week's job satisfaction survey has found.

Forty-four percent said they had suffered such illness, with more than half of female respondents saying they had, the survey of 248 commercial lawyers found. Levels of illness were also more common among lawyers under the age of 30 and those working in large firms with more than 1,000 lawyers.

"Being a lawyer is the most stressful yet boring job in the world," said one female lawyer at a large international firm. "I'd never recommend it to anyone. Ever."

The findings come as four in 10 lawyers said they work more than 50 hours every week, and 37% admitted to having worked at least one all-nighter in the past year.

Among men, nearly half (47%) claimed to work more than 50 hours, with one in seven saying they exceed the 60-hour mark. For women, more than a third (34%) admitted working more than 50 hours and 9% said they breached the 60-hour mark.

Even among parents, 42% said they work more than 50 hours a week.

"It feels like success at work directly leads to a worsening home life and work/life balance"

Multiple submissions for the survey referenced the detrimental impact of a "long hours culture", the fixation with billable hours and the pressure that came from managing client expectations.

One male lawyer in his 30s at a midsized firm commented: "The better you perform the more in demand you are from clients and internally. This means more hours.

"It feels like success at work directly leads to a worsening home life and work/life balance. The worst lawyers in our firm have the best lifestyle."

Billable hour under fire

When asked what one thing they would change about the profession, the most common theme by far from respondents related to work-life balance issues.

There were calls for "more humane timelines and hours", "realistic deadlines" and "acceptance of fixed work hours", as many claimed the billable hour model actively encouraged inefficiency.

One salaried partner at a large London-based law firm stated that the focus on billable hours "severely adversely affects mental health and makes it very hard for lawyers to switch off and enjoy down time".

In total, 74% of the respondents from across the industry said they feel under pressure to work beyond their contracted hours in order to justify their position, with nearly a third claiming that they actively dislike their job.

Lawyers working in-house however appeared to be generally more positive about their jobs, with 35% of them feeling very positive about their role compared to 20% at law firms.

"We are at the complete mercy of clients, to the detriment of our own health and wellness"

One lawyer at a small London-based firm likened their working environment to that of a factory.

"You are required to get the work in and out and quickly as possible and on time," they said. "This is no matter how much work you have – no consideration is given for the amount of work you have and urgency. Everything must be responded to within 48 hours."

On the subject of client expectations, one solicitor said: "We are at the complete mercy of clients, to the detriment of our own health and wellness."

Younger lawyers felt particularly affected – 79% of under-30s felt pressured to work overtime and half said they've suffered illnesses because of this work.

This work and stress seems to have filtered through into their perception of law. Under-30s were the most disillusioned about their work, with just 42% saying they liked their job, compared with 61% of over-40s.

According to one male trainee, his U.S.-based firm has "no respect for holiday, no respect for not being on emails whilst away, no perks [and] no days in lieu".

"There is a culture of bullying, discrimination and total lack of respect for its employees. Partner profits are the top priority for this firm"

One lawyer at one of the U.K.'s top firms described the firm's culture as "toxic and hypocritical", adding it was: "Always banging on about diversity, mental health support and whatever policy makes the firm look 'good' to the outside world. In fact, there is a culture of bullying, discrimination and total lack of respect for its employees. Partner profits are the top priority for this firm."

Industry approach 'not really working'

Another lawyer, who is in their 30s at a large law firm, demanded that there "must be a better focus on recognising and decreasing anxiety and depression".

Adding: "As part of that, there needs to be more flexible working arrangements with reduced hours and flexi-contracts, and hence increasing the number of women – and more 'well-balanced' men, rather than sociopaths and workaholics – in more senior roles."

"I do wonder what the attraction will be to young people coming into the profession going forward"

According to some respondents, the impact of the hours and stress could ultimately put younger generations off the industry. As one older solicitor concluded: "I have had a good career in the law, but year on year it gets more pressurised.

"I do wonder what the attraction will be to young people coming into the profession going forward."

"If we remain in a chronically stressful situation for extended periods, we will all feel the effects and the distress"

Jonathan Moult, a former banking partner at Simmons & Simmons turned psychologist at Moult Coppin, commented that the fallout from a long-hours, high-stress environment are unsurprising: "We're human beings, if we remain in a chronically stressful situation for extended periods, we will all feel the effects and the distress and possibly we'll act out to compensate; it may well taint our experience of work and life.

"The problem is not being realistic about how hard people work and its impact over time, if left unattended."

Moult, who runs a private psychology and psychotherapy practice aimed at City workers, with colleague Jonathan Coppin, argues that firms' response to stress and depression is currently too reactive, waiting for employees themselves to identify a "problem" and seek help.

"That's the medical model – waiting for a person to put their hand up – that there's something wrong that needs fixing," Moult said.

"It's suggesting: 'You're not coping, something's gone wrong and now we've got to treat it.' That approach is not really working at the moment."

Moult suggests that instead of reacting to problems as they arise, firms may need to think about taking a more proactive approach by organising sessions with a psychologist for lawyers at certain points in their careers, on an opt-out rather than opt-in basis. The aim, he says, is to "help destigmatise any notions that you only get to talk to a someone when you're not coping".

If you wish to share your own experiences of mental health problems in the workplace, you can reach out in confidence to Legal Week editor-in-chief Paul Hodkinson at [email protected] or news editor Rose Walker at [email protected].

If you have been affected by any of this reporting, or wish to find out more information and advice on the topics covered, third-party resources can be found at the following links: https://www.nhs.uk, https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk and mind.org.uk