Legal sector faces high stress levels compared to other professional services

The Modern Families Index (MFI) 2025: Legal Sector Report from Bright Horizons Family Solutions has revealed that the legal sector is reporting notably higher stress levels compared to other professional services. Ahead of National Stress Awareness Month in April, the survey of randomly-selected UK parents and carers (not connected with Bright Horizons) found parents in the legal sector reported:

• Over a third (36%) of parents report the highest stress levels, compared to 29% in the overall MFI population and 23% in other professional services
• Fewer than 1 in 10 (9%) legal sector parents have low stress levels, compared to 18% in the main survey[1]

These findings underscore the need for practical support from employers to help balance the responsibilities of family life alongside demanding careers. As the conversation concerning the return to the office continues, working parents need practical support to enable them to reach their professional potential.

Within this context, the report also identified the challenges of productivity faced in the legal sector:

• Over 7 in 10 (71%) of legal sector parents had childcare breakdowns that clashed with work in the last year, compared to 64% in the survey overall
• Nearly 3 in 10 (28%) of the overall MFI reported they are able to work more flexibly than the previous year, but only 22% in the legal sector sample

On the positive side, legal sector parents reported feeling more supported by their firms than some of their counterparts in other sectors:

• Over 7 in 10 (72%) legal sector parents feel their organisation cares about their work-home balance, compared to under two-thirds across all sectors
• Nearly three-quarters (73%) are confident discussing family-related issues with their employer, compared to 62% across all sectors

When asked what would improve office attendance, after flexibility of days and hours, 35% of legal sector parents said help with childcare costs and 27% said childcare cover.

Jennifer Liston-Smith, Head of Thought-Leadership at Bright Horizons, commented on the survey findings:

“The findings of the survey demonstrate four reasons for legal firms, and indeed all employers, to invest in supporting the working parents and carers in their workforces. :

• Productivity – with care solutions to enable people to attend work
• Easing the mental load – to enable everyone to be focused and psychologically present, even while carrying multiple responsibilities
• Talent attraction and retention – being the employer of choice when (77%) of legal sector parents say they carefully consider their childcare options before accepting a promotion or new job.
• Enabling potential - three-quarters of these legal sector parents felt confident that they could progress their careers whilst working flexibly, so given the support they are ready to apply their ambition to the task in hand.

“The pressures on law firms continue to increase in their complexity in a world of rapid technological change and economic uncertainty. However, one thing that is a consistent focus for most firms is talent attraction and retention. To recruit and retain working parents, businesses must be offering practical support so parents can manage their high pressure roles, alongside family life. Law firms that fail to provide sufficient support will be those that suffer reduced employee loyalty and engagement. Employee expectations are changing. It may come as a surprise to some law firm partners that 30% in our survey are looking for ‘parenting advice for teenagers’ when asked what they’d look for in a good employer.

“Further, access to reliable, flexible back-up care for children, adults, elders, and even pets can be a true sanity-saver to working parents and carers who would otherwise struggle to work when care arrangements break down or schedules change.”

To find out more about Bright Horizons, Work+Family solutions, including Back-Up Care, visit: https://solutions.brighthorizons.co.uk/.

[1] Those indicating stress ratings of 8-10 out of 10 were treated as highly stressed and those indicting of 1-3 out of 10 as having low stress levels.