Lawyer wellbeing, workplace culture and ethics research project
Explore the initial findings into lawyer wellbeing, workplace culture and ethics.
In March 2024, the Legal Practice Board supported a new study into lawyer wellbeing, workplace culture and ethics by researchers from Australian National University and the University of Melbourne.
Along with our Uniform Law partners in New South Wales and Victoria, we invited lawyers practising under the Uniform Law Scheme to complete a confidential survey about their experiences of wellbeing, culture and ethics.
We are pleased to share initial findings from this survey, available for download here.
These initial findings support previous research findings in lawyer wellbeing, while delivering new insights through indicators of positive workplace wellbeing for lawyers. Initial insights include:
- Across ten indicators of positive wellbeing, the highest rated elements for respondent lawyers were relationships and meaning in work and the lowest was physical health.
- Initial findings confirm and extend on previous research on perceptions of ethical climates in legal workplaces and support a correlation between a more positive ethical climate and higher levels of wellbeing.
- Three ethical climate dimensions were identified: positive ethical climate; self-interest / protection; power / ethical flexibility. Around two thirds of respondents reported that they practise in a positive ethical climate.
- Around a third of respondent lawyers report experiencing moderate to severe levels of psychological distress.
- Initial findings indicate similar experiences for respondent lawyers on the researched topics across the three jurisdictions, highlighting the opportunity for collaborative responses across the states. Differences of experiences across demographic and practising certificate type will be explored in the full report.
A more detailed analysis of the survey data is now underway. Findings will be available in a full report in the coming months.
There were close to 1900 completed survey responses and we thank those lawyers who took the time to share their valuable insights for inclusion in this project. Your participation will go on to help shape evidence-based initiatives aimed at fostering a culture of wellbeing within the legal profession.