As we move further into 2025, HR professionals in the legal sector have a unique opportunity to shape a more sustainable and supportive workplace culture. Evolving expectations around work-life balance, regulatory changes, and global challenges are prompting the legal profession to rethink how it supports its people.

Drawing on insights from recent psychosocial risk assessments and employee assistance data, we see several key areas where HR leaders can drive meaningful change. By anticipating challenges and implementing proactive strategies, HR can help law firms create environments where legal professionals can be successful without compromising their wellbeing.

1. Addressing Psychosocial Risks: Building Safer and Healthier Work Environments

While the pressures of the legal profession are well-known, 2025 presents an opportunity for law firms to address longstanding psychosocial risks more effectively. By embedding protective factors and strengthening leadership capability, firms can mitigate risks and foster a more positive workplace culture.

Key areas to address include:

• Moral Injury – Lawyers often encounter ethical dilemmas, particularly in high-stakes areas like criminal and family law. Proactive debriefing, peer support programs, and ethics forums can help legal professionals process these challenges in a supportive environment.
• Vicarious Trauma – Lawyers exposed to traumatic content, such as in human rights or litigation cases, can benefit from structured support systems. Rotating caseloads, regular supervision, and systems that flag when individuals are managing a high volume of distressing content can reduce cumulative trauma.
• ·       High Work Demands, Low Control – Addressing workload pressures by promoting balanced caseloads and providing greater autonomy through flexible work arrangements can significantly improve wellbeing and engagement.
• ·       Harmful Workplace Behaviours: Bullying & Harassment – Promoting a culture of respect and accountability through clear behavioural expectations and confidential reporting processes is key to ensuring psychological safety.

Preventative Strategies: Building Capability and Embedding Protective Factors

• HR leaders play a pivotal role in driving initiatives that move beyond reactive measures to create long-term cultural change. Key strategies include:
• Upskilling Leaders to Recognise and Reduce Psychosocial Risks – Leaders are central to building healthy teams. Training in trauma-informed leadership, supportive feedback, and conflict resolution will help them create environments where people can perform at their best.
• Embedding Psychological Safety – Fostering an environment where employees feel safe to speak up, share concerns, and seek support is crucial. Regular team check-ins, structured debriefing sessions, and transparent communication processes are practical ways to achieve this.
• Implementing Systematic Controls for High-Risk Work

• • For vicarious trauma, introduce rotating caseloads and automated systems to monitor exposure to traumatic content.
    
  • For workload management, conduct regular reviews to ensure balanced distribution of tasks and manageable targets.
  • For workplace behaviours, establish clear standards, transparent reporting pathways, and ensure leaders model respectful conduct.
  • Firms that embed these preventative strategies will see stronger engagement, reduced burnout, and improved long-term retention.

2. The Right to Disconnect: Navigating Generational Shifts and Evolving Expectations

The introduction of the right to disconnect legislation marks an important cultural shift for the legal profession. For an industry known for long hours and round-the-clock availability, this change is an opportunity to rethink how firms balance professional commitments with personal wellbeing.

As HR professionals in the legal sector, the responsibility to create a sustainable, high-performing workplace has never been greater. Addressing psychosocial risks, adapting to shifting workforce expectations, and building resilience within your teams require a proactive and informed approach.

A strong Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is essential, but not all EAPs are created equal. It’s not enough to have a set-and-forget service, your EAP should be tailored to the unique challenges of the legal profession. Lawyers face specific psychosocial risks that require an EAP provider with deep expertise in the industry, senior psychologists delivering the service, and a proactive approach that goes beyond reactive support to truly enhance employee well-being.

At the Centre for Corporate Health, we specialise in supporting law firms to:

• Implement EAP solutions designed specifically for the legal profession, with psychologists who understand the high-pressure nature of legal work and the complexities of moral injury, vicarious trauma, and burnout.
• Move beyond compliance by developing tailored strategies to address psychosocial risks, embedding psychological safety, and creating structured support systems.
• Upskill legal leaders to navigate workplace challenges with confidence, ensuring they have the tools to foster resilience, manage risk, and lead high-performing teams sustainably.

2025 presents a defining moment for legal workplaces to rethink how they support their people. If your firm is ready to elevate its approach to employee wellbeing and leadership capability, visit Centre for Corporate Health to learn more about how we can partner with you.

Thank you to our Platinum Sponsors, Centre for Corporate Health, supplying this following content.

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