Stress and burnout are costing law firms millions and putting employees’ health at serious risk, a leading lawyer and wellbeing expert has warned.
The stark message comes from property solicitor, author and mental health advocate Hannah Beko, who says businesses are often tackling the crisis in the wrong way.
Research by her brand Authentically Speaking reveals that staff attrition now costs an average small-to-medium sized legal firm £315,000, with each leaver costing over £36,000.
For larger firms, the bill can exceed £1,000,000 every year.
Hannah said: “The fact is that we live in a non-stop, high-pressure world, and few understand that better than those of us in the legal profession.”
“While lawyers are particularly vulnerable to stress, no sector is immune, and without effective support, the human and financial impact across industries can be severe.”
While many businesses now take a more proactive approach towards staff wellbeing, Hannah warns of an unsettling paradox – a phenomenon she has termed wellbeing burnout.
“It is encouraging that firms are taking wellbeing seriously, but prescribing employees who are already overloaded a strict diet of meditation, office yoga and daily exercise can end up just piling more on their plate,” she continued.
“I’ve spoken to many who feel like wellbeing is just another thing for them to juggle, creating a cycle of fear, failure and self-doubt.”
Estimates for the average turnover rate across all UK employers vary from around 15% to over 30% annually, but Hannah’s research with law firms suggests an industry average of 20% – or 30 leavers per year in a 150-person firm.
But the figures are just the tip of what she describes as Britain’s “burnout crisis”.
“This is more than just a financial issue, it’s killing people,” she warned.
“We are starting to see just how serious the effects of chronic unmanaged stress are, from mental health conditions to heart attacks and strokes. It’s an epidemic.
“I speak to people every day for whom stress has derailed their careers, torn apart their relationships, and led to long periods of severe ill health.”
Encouragingly, there is a developing understanding of how stress can be managed effectively in the long term, preventing burnout and creating better outcomes for employers and staff.
Figures show that tailored training can boost employee productivity and retention rates significantly, saving 150-person firms an average of £228,000 per year.
In June 2025, Hannah will launch Rest, Restore and Rise, a targeted eight-stage coaching programme for lawyers currently experiencing, or at risk of burnout.
The programme is grounded in clinically backed psychological methods which Hannah studied after her own experience of chronic stress and burnout left her at crisis point.
She reflected: “I had what many would consider a successful life: partnership at an international firm, a dream home and an amazing family – but I was burning out to the point of total collapse.
“It was only once I began to explore the root causes of my stress that I started to uncover exactly what was causing it, and turn it into something that could help others.”
Since founding Authentically Speaking in 2016, Hannah has coached thousands of lawyers, spoken at industry events, written books and appeared in publications including The Sunday Times.
