Mills: Still a lot of work to do
The proportion of barristers saying they are satisfied with their jobs has increased significantly to almost seven out of 10, according to a Bar Council report.
Criminal law barristers reported “significantly lower overall wellbeing” than any other practice area, the second lowest being family law. Employed barristers had higher wellbeing scores than those who were self-employed.
Portsmouth University’s quality of working life research group analysed almost 4,000 responses to the Bar Council’s 2025 working lives survey for the wellbeing at the Bar report.
It found that 69% of barristers were ‘satisfied with their job as a whole’, up from 61% in the 2023 report. A majority (54%) felt ‘generally content’ with their working life as a barrister, up by four percentage points (pp), while the proportion who were not content fell to just under three out of 10.
When asked if they were ‘generally content’ with their lives, inside and outside the Bar, researchers found the same positive trend. Six out of 10 were, and the proportion who were not fell to just under a fifth.
Researchers said it was “likely to be a good thing” for barristers that their perfectionism rating was down in this year’s survey, by 3pp.
“Cases can be won or lost on whether the full details are understood. However, individuals high on perfectionism tend to dwell on mistakes and will often experience a reduction in confidence and consequently wellbeing.”
There was a further positive result in the increased proportion of barristers saying they could ‘cope with the competing demands’ of their jobs, up by 7pp to a majority of 56%. This was accompanied by a 4pp decline in those saying they could not cope.
Three-quarters of barristers now say they are supported by colleagues at work, with the proportion saying they are not falling to just over 10%.
Although wellbeing scores for barristers in all practice areas were higher than in 2023, those at the criminal Bar reported “significantly lower overall wellbeing than all other practice areas”.
Wellbeing at the family Bar was “significantly higher” than this, but “significantly lower” than all other areas of practice, except personal injury and professional negligence.
Those called to the Bar more recently reported lower levels of wellbeing than more experienced barristers, with those called “before 1990 having significantly higher wellbeing”.
Women barristers, who made up 43% of respondents, experienced significantly lower overall wellbeing than men. The same was true of disabled and LGBTQ barristers, as in previous surveys.
Wellbeing scores improved for all ethnic groups improved, apart for those from mixed backgrounds, which fell significantly. Barristers from Asian backgrounds had the lowest wellbeing scores and those from White backgrounds the highest.
Researchers recommended that there should be an expansion of therapy and counselling services for barristers to improve their wellbeing.
They said mentoring and peer support “help barristers – especially juniors – navigate career challenges, reduce isolation, and build resilience”.
They called for “fair legal aid rates and timely payments”, for chambers to support work-life balance initiatives, and for courts to tackle “unpredictable court listings, late papers, and unrealistic judicial demands”, which “create excessive pressure”.
Barbara Mills KC, chair of the Bar Council, welcomed “another improvement in overall wellbeing at the Bar” but said there was “still a lot of work to do”.
She added: “In all practice areas, barristers face unrelenting pressures and high expectations.”
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