Landmark Study Reveals Mental Health, Substance Use and Gambling Challenges Among Illinois Lawyers
The Weight of Practice, released by the Illinois Lawyers’ Assistance Program, a commission of the Illinois Supreme Court, examines suicidal ideation, vicarious trauma, workplace stress, help-seeking and barriers to care across the state’s legal profession.
Mental Health and Suicidal Ideation | Alcohol Use | Drug Use and Prescription Drug Misuse | Overlapping Wellness Challenges | Gambling
The Impact of Stress at Work | Cognitive Decline
ILAP Recommendations | Read The Weight of Practice Complete Report
CHICAGO, IL (October 5, 2026) - A landmark statewide study released today by the Illinois Lawyers’ Assistance Program (ILAP), a commission of the Illinois Supreme Court, documents significant mental health and well-being challenges among Illinois lawyers, including suicidal ideation, vicarious trauma, substance use, problematic gambling and widespread workplace stress.
One in five Illinois lawyers rated their mental health as fair or poor. Among those lawyers, nearly one in three reported experiencing suicidal ideation during the previous year. Those are among the key findings from ILAP’s new report, The Weight of Practice: A Landmark Study On Illinois Lawyers’ Mental Health & Well-Being Challenges.
"This is the elephant in the room for the Illinois legal profession," said Dr. Diana Uchiyama, executive director of the Illinois Lawyers’ Assistance Program. "Ask lawyers who are practicing today. They know the pressures. At ILAP, we see the consequences every day. What this research does is put data behind what lawyers have been experiencing and what we have been seeing for years. Now that we can see the scope of the problem, the profession has a responsibility to confront it."
View the on-demand virtual roundtable discussion of the ILAP findings are TheWeightOfPractice.com, featuring ILAP Executive Director Dr. Diana Uchiyama, Illinois Supreme Court Justice Mary Kay O'Brien and ILAP Board President, Judge Susan Boles, 16th Judicial Circuit.
The research examined mental health, suicidal ideation, alcohol and drug use, gambling, cognitive decline, vicarious trauma, workplace stress and overall well-being. It also examined the professional and personal impacts reported by lawyers, whether they seek help and the barriers that can prevent them from doing so.
The research also breaks new ground by examining issues that have received limited attention in previous lawyer well-being research, including problematic gambling and lawyers’ observations of possible cognitive decline within the profession.
“For the first time, we have a statewide picture of challenges that too often remain out of sight,” said Illinois Supreme Court Justice Mary Kay O’Brien. “The findings make clear that lawyer well-being is an issue for the entire legal profession. We need to make it easier for lawyers to seek help early and to know that asking for help is a sign that should be met with support, not stigma.”
Nearly 7,000 Illinois lawyers participated in the statewide study – 12% of all practicing state lawyers – providing a broad cross-section of the Illinois legal profession across practice areas, workplaces, age groups and career stages. The survey was sent to 56,268 attorneys registered with the Illinois Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission in 2025 whose principal offices were in Illinois, with 6,778 completing the anonymous survey. The study was designed to provide reliable estimates of the experiences of the broader population of Illinois lawyers.
Key Findings From The Weight of Practice
Mental Health and Suicidal Ideation
An estimated 11,000 Illinois lawyers rated their mental health as fair or poor, underscoring the scale of the mental health challenges identified by the study. Nationally, suicide rates remain near historically high levels, after reaching their highest age-adjusted rate since 1941 in 2022.
Among lawyers who rated their mental health as poor to fair:
- 32% reported experiencing suicidal ideation at least once during the previous year, equivalent to approximately 3,500 Illinois lawyers.
- Among those reporting suicidal ideation during the previous year, 24% said they had thought about ending their life during the two weeks before taking the survey.
- 37% of lawyers who rated their mental health as fair or poor did not seek help during the previous year.
- Reported barriers to seeking help included lack of time, believing they could handle the problem themselves, financial considerations, embarrassment, privacy and confidentiality concerns, reputational concerns and concerns about harming their careers.
Lawyers ages 25 to 35 reported the poorest mental health ratings of any age group, with 33% rating their mental health as fair or poor.
Nearly one in three Illinois lawyers reported experiencing vicarious trauma during the previous year, reflecting the emotional and psychological impact of exposure to other people’s trauma through their work. Vicarious trauma was reported more frequently among lawyers practicing in litigation, criminal law and family and domestic relations.
“Practicing lawyers are under constant pressure to be perfect even in the most difficult cases,” Uchiyama said. “Many cases involve emotional trauma and go against the moral strain of who we are as human beings. This places an immense mental strain on their lives and the lives of their families.”
Alcohol Use
The study also identified widespread patterns of alcohol use among Illinois lawyers, including frequent drinking, difficulty controlling consumption and increased alcohol use during periods of stress.
Among the findings:
- More than 28% reported drinking more alcohol than intended or having trouble stopping, representing an estimated 13,100 lawyers.
- 27% reported that their alcohol use increased under stress, representing approximately 13,000 lawyers.
- 12% reported drinking four or more times a week, representing more than 6,700 Illinois lawyers.
- Among lawyers who drank alcohol during the previous year, 23% screened at moderate risk for alcohol use disorder, representing approximately 11,000 lawyers, and 11% screened at high risk, representing approximately 5,400 lawyers. Among those at high risk, 82% did not seek help.
Among lawyers identified as high risk for alcohol use disorder, 45% reported burnout, 29% reported difficulty sustaining attention and 28% reported being unable to perform at their regular standards.
Drug Use and Prescription Drug Misuse
The survey also examined recreational drug use and prescription drug misuse.
Approximately 22% of Illinois lawyers reported some recreational drug use or prescription drug misuse during the previous year.
Among lawyers reporting frequent recreational drug use:
- 97% reported cannabis use, with 88% using cannabis at least weekly and 35% daily or almost daily.
- 17% reported hallucinogen use.
- 11% reported cocaine use.
- Among reasons for recreational drug use or prescription drug misuse, 74% cited reducing stress or relaxing, while 61% cited sleep, pain or other health issues.
Only 7% of lawyers reporting frequent recreational drug use or prescription drug misuse sought help.
Overlapping Wellness Challenges
The study also examined how mental health, high-risk alcohol use and frequent drug use can overlap among Illinois lawyers. Nearly one-third of Illinois lawyers, 32.3%, or an estimated 18,119 lawyers, had at least one of these three wellness challenges.
- 24% had a wellness challenge in one of the three areas.
- Just over 7% had wellness challenges in two areas.
- 1.3%, or an estimated 732 lawyers, reported challenges in all three areas simultaneously.
The analysis provides a broader picture of how mental health and substance use challenges can occur together and can help legal employers, bar associations and treatment providers better understand the needs of the lawyers they serve.
Gambling
The study is the first of its kind that identifies problematic gambling in the legal profession. Illinois LAP believes this is an area deserving greater attention, especially among younger lawyers. Approximately 3% of Illinois lawyers responding screened positive for problematic gambling, representing an estimated 1,688 lawyers statewide. Lawyers ages 25 to 35 were more likely to engage in problematic gambling than older lawyers.
Among those respondents, 53% gambled at least once a week, 12% gambled daily or almost daily and 30% reported negative effects on their personal lives, including financial problems, increased anger and declining mental health. Sixteen percent reported an adverse effect on their work. Only 3% sought help.
The Impact of Stress at Work
“Profitability is often more important than employee wellbeing, Uchiyama said. The hypocrisy of pretending to implement mental health and wellness strategies, and then quietly holding it against someone for making use of vacation or wellbeing time is widespread in the law.”
57% of Illinois lawyers responding to the Weight of Practice survey said they experience workplace stress weekly or daily, and feel discouraged from taking a vacation or time off.
- 36% felt overwhelmed by the amount of work they had to do.
- 31% felt the workday never ends.
- 30% had trouble taking time off from work.
- 27% felt anxious or panicked at work.
Younger lawyers reported some of the greatest workplace impact. Thirty-one percent of lawyers ages 25 to 35 said their workplace negatively affected their well-being.
Cognitive Decline
The survey is also the first of its kind that explored cognitive decline within the profession.
- 39% reported observing other lawyers who appeared to show signs of cognitive decline.
- 21% reported observing judges who appeared to show signs of cognitive decline.
- 94% believed more resources should be available to help lawyers or judges experiencing cognitive decline.
The study also found that many Illinois lawyers plan to continue practicing later in life. Among lawyers aged 60 or older, 40% reported having no planned retirement age, while 24% of lawyers said they planned to retire at age 70 or older.
ILAP Recommendations
The findings provide ILAP, law firms, courts and the broader legal community with a statewide baseline for understanding the health and well-being challenges facing Illinois lawyers and identifying where the profession can respond.
ILAP is calling for action across the profession, including:
- Greater education about mental health, substance use, gambling and well-being throughout a lawyer’s career.
- Workplace policies and cultures that reduce stigma and encourage lawyers to seek assistance and take vacations or wellness time off.
- Greater access to appropriate treatment, and confidential counseling resources.
“The profession needs to act now,” Uchiyama said. “Lawyers need to be able to take the time off they’ve earned, use workplace wellness resources and ask for help without worrying that it will be held against them. That requires more than having policies on the books. Legal employers have to create workplaces where the well-being of their people is reflected in how they operate every day.”
The Weight of Practice: A Landmark Study On Illinois Lawyers’ Mental Health & Well-Being Challenges is available for free download TheWeightOfPractice.com.
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