The National Study on the Psychological Health Determinants of Legal Professionals in Canada has been published. The research was undertaken by a research team at the Université de Sherbrooke led by Dr. Nathalie Cadieux, with funding from the Federation of Law Societies of Canada and the Canadian Bar Association.
The report attempts to fill a knowledge gap by mapping the mental health of the Canadian legal profession.
The findings do not paint a positive picture, showing that legal professionals in all areas of practice and in all jurisdictions suffer from significantly high levels of psychological distress, depression, anxiety, burnout and suicidal ideation, with those in the early years of practice experiencing some of the highest rates of distress.