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Law firms and the legal profession are facing new uncertainties, shifting the stress levels, economic pressures, and overall contentment of lawyers in private practice, according to the 2025 Law360 Pulse Lawyer Satisfaction Survey. And with those rising concerns come new questions for lawyers and law firms in a profession already well known for its pressure-cooker approach to work.
Overall job satisfaction has dropped to its lowest level in the five-year history of the survey, with 61% of lawyers reporting they are satisfied or very satisfied with their jobs — a five-point drop from last year. Satisfaction with billable hours, advancement opportunities, and collegiality also hit record lows.
And for the first time in the history of the survey, a majority of attorneys said they feel stressed most or all of the time, a significant increase from the 38% of respondents who said the same just one year ago. Nonequity partners and women across all roles at a typical law firm reported the highest stress levels.
Less than half of respondents said they now consider their financial stability "excellent," a drop from earlier years. Associates and nonequity partners in particular are feeling the pinch, while equity partners remain comparatively confident.
Almost a quarter of respondents say they are likely or very likely to seek new employment at another firm in the next year, the highest level since the survey began.
Check out our analysis of these and other findings in the coverage below.
How Happy Are Attorneys At Work Now?
In a time of rising uncertainty and stress, there are signs that spirits are sagging in the legal profession compared with recent years, according to a new Law360 Pulse survey.Lawyers Worry About Financial Stability Of Their Careers
In 2025, even lawyers are feeling anxious about their bottom lines: Only 44% of attorneys described their financial stability as "excellent" in a recent Law360 Pulse survey.What Attorneys Really Think About Their Profession
Law360 Pulse asked respondents to our Lawyer Satisfaction Survey for their thoughts on misconceptions about being a lawyer, what the best parts of the job are and what they would tell newer lawyers. Here's what they said.For a reprint of this article, please contact reprints@law360.com.
