CALGARY, October 7, 2024 – The second phase of the national study on wellness in the legal profession has been published, sharing critical insights into the mental, physical, and emotional challenges within the legal profession in Alberta.
The first phase of the study, released in 2022, presented an overview of the mental health and wellness of Canadian legal professionals. This second phase contextualizes those findings and provides detailed feedback to inform recommendations that consider factors in Alberta.
This report addresses the three mental health and wellness themes most frequently reported as priorities for participating legal professionals in Alberta: working conditions and cognitive demands, work-life balance, and coping strategies and lifestyle. It also demonstrates that two years on from the release of the original report, Alberta lawyers continue to struggle with their mental health, with respondents reporting higher rates of suicidal ideation than the national average for lawyers, while also seeking help for their mental health challenges in lower numbers.
“The first phase of this study laid bare the realities we face as a legal profession when it comes to our mental health,” said Robert D.L. Bassett, President of the Canadian Bar Association – Alberta Branch. “Having the opportunity to better understand the unique needs and challenges of lawyers in Alberta gives us the information we need to continue to provide support, whether it be through existing resources such as our mentor program and well-being programming, highlighting means to access mental health support, or through the identification of new initiatives.”
The Towards a Healthy and Sustainable Practice of Law in Canada project is a partnership between the Université de Sherbrooke, the Federation of Law Societies of Canada and the Canadian Bar Association. It is the first comprehensive national study of its kind of the legal profession in Canada and represents five years of research.
For many years, the CBA has recognized the unique needs of our profession and worked to find solutions that allow our members to lead healthy, balanced lives. Since 1989, the CBA’s Well-Being initiative has been offering support, providing advice, and developing training to support Canada’s legal professionals to lead healthy, balanced lives. The report will help guide our continued work in the years ahead.
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About CBA Alberta
The Canadian Bar Association is the largest professional association for lawyers, representing over 39,000 lawyers, judges, legal academics, articling students and law students across Canada, with over 5,400 members in Alberta. As the essential ally and advocate for our members, CBA Alberta promotes fair justice systems, facilitates effective law reform, and upholds equality in the legal profession and beyond.
Media Contact
Lee-Anne Hateley, Manager, Member Services & Communications
403-218-4310
communications@cba-alberta.org