News
Understanding the changing pressures facing solicitors
Solicitors across England and Wales continue to face a wide range of pressures, both in and outside of work. From financial strain and health challenges to career uncertainty and emotional stress, many are navigating complex situations that can be difficult to manage alone.
The Big Report 2025–2026 offers a clearer picture of those experiences and what happens when the right support is in place at the right time. One of the most important themes in this year’s report is not just demand, but complexity. More solicitors are reaching a point where they need support, and many are doing so while dealing with multiple challenges at once.
For some, financial pressure is affecting emotional wellbeing. For others, health issues are disrupting confidence, work or retirement. Career uncertainty can sit alongside personal stress, family responsibilities or changing circumstances. These are not always separate issues. Often, they overlap and build over time. That matters, because support needs to reflect the full picture.
The Solicitors’ Charity’s approach is built around four areas of wellbeing: emotional, professional, physical and financial. In practice, those areas are closely connected. By looking at the person as a whole, rather than focusing on one issue in isolation, support can be more timely, more relevant, and more effective.
The report also shows what that support can make possible. 83% of those supported said they felt more positive and able to cope, both now and in the future. That figure reflects more than a result. It reflects the difference that being listened to, understood and supported can make when life feels uncertain or overwhelming.
In 2025, The Solicitors’ Charity delivered £1.27 million in financial awards and grants, alongside more than 5,600 hours of direct case manager support. Across emotional, professional, physical and financial wellbeing, the work continues to respond to changing need across the profession.
As one beneficiary shared: “Support was there when I needed it most, and it helped bring me back from a very dark place.”
The Big Report 2025–2026 reflects both the pressures facing the profession and the importance of having somewhere to turn when those pressures become difficult to manage. It is also a reminder that awareness matters. Support can only make a difference when people know it exists, feel able to access it, and trust that it is there for them.
