Two halves of a better profession.
Celebrate what's good in law, and find the courage to tackle what's hard. Living Law Better is the free, open home for both.
About Living Law Better
Law is a brilliant profession.
It changes lives, protects rights, supports businesses, resolves disputes, and helps people through some of the most difficult moments they will ever face — but for too many people working within it, their experiences do not reflect its purpose.
The profession is built around service, judgment, trust and care. Yet the statistics on stress, burnout, attrition and mental health tell a different story. That disconnect is what Living Law Better seeks to address.
This is a campaign for people who want to protect what is best about the legal profession while being honest about what needs to change. It is not about criticising law firms or pretending there are easy answers. It is about starting better conversations about the way we work, the way we lead, the way we train, the way we measure success and the kind of profession we want the next generation to inherit.
Over time, Living Law Better will grow to shine a light on the pressures facing lawyers and legal teams — through stories, insight and practical discussion — and to share ideas for building healthier, more sustainable and more human workplaces.
Living Law Better is a collective effort to modernise leadership, culture and working practices across the legal profession, so it becomes sustainable for the people who work in it. One step at a time. Unlike other campaigns, there's no barrier to entry — everyone can make an iterative improvement today. And maybe another step tomorrow.
Name what's good
Our postcard builder makes recognition an everyday habit. Personalise a social postcard in seconds, thank a colleague, mark a milestone, or commit publicly to one thing you'll do to make the sector a little kinder, turning private good intentions into public, shareable moments.
Start better conversations
Protect what's best about law while being honest about what needs to change — the way we work, lead, train and measure success. In time, through stories, insight and practical discussion, we'll shine a light on the pressures lawyers face and share ideas for healthier, more human workplaces.
The case for change
The profession has a people problem.
These are no longer isolated wellbeing concerns. They're a culture problem, a future-proofing problem — and a serious operational risk.
The profession has long relied on individual resilience to absorb pressure: long hours, steep hierarchies and rigid targets that squeeze out supervision, mentoring and time to think. The cost is real. The Junior Lawyers Division found that more than a third of junior lawyers had made a mistake that wouldn't have happened had they not been overworked. Chronic stress doesn't only harm people; it raises the risk of errors that reach clients too. Looking after our people is how we look after our clients.
Much of it traces to a leadership gap. Many partners are promoted for technical brilliance, then asked to lead teams, develop talent and shape culture — roles they were never trained for. Leadership isn't management: it takes emotional intelligence, cultural literacy, and the courage to name and disrupt harmful norms.
The shift we're asking for: from "I survived this, so others must too" to "I survived this — so others shouldn't have to."
Sources: LawCare, Life in the Law 2025; Realm Recruit, Wellbeing in the Law; Junior Lawyers Division resilience & wellbeing survey.
Six pillars for change
Where the work happens.
Practical places leaders and organisations can start — and keep going.
Leadership capability
Developing partners as effective organisational leaders, not just brilliant technicians.
Culture systems
Embedding mechanisms that interrupt harmful behaviours before they take hold.
Psychological safety
Creating environments where concerns can be raised early and honestly.
Sustainable work practices
Addressing workflows where chronic overwork has been normalised.
Talent equity
Ensuring diverse lawyers can progress without a disproportionate cultural cost.
Mentorship & visibility
Creating real pathways for emerging leaders to learn and be seen.
What we're asking
A commitment from those who can change it.
We're asking the senior decision-makers with the authority to shape culture — law firm partners, chambers leaders and general counsel — to rethink how lawyers are led, supported and developed.
Redefine success
Reshape what strength, leadership and success look like, fit for modern life and client expectations.
Challenge the hierarchy
Confront problematic behaviours and build true psychological safety — not just the appearance of it.
Break the cycle
Lift others up. Don't pass on the stress, and don't expect emerging talent to endure what previous generations had to.
This is the start of a conversation, not its conclusion.
We invite law firms, chambers and GCs to join the discussion about how the profession evolves — and how, together, we make sure we're Living Law Better.
Make a pledge →The founding members
The people behind the movement.
A group of lawyers and legal-sector voices who believe recognition and courage belong together. Living Law Better is run as an independent campaign, not a marketing exercise; anything you share with us is used only for Living Law Better and kept separately from any founder's own business.
See their pledges →
JS
Juliet Schalker
Partner and Head of Dispute Resolution & Insolvency, Debenhams Ottaway
Why Living Law Better matters to meThroughout my career, I've seen the extraordinary impact that one person can have on those around them. A supportive colleague, an inspiring leader or someone prepared to challenge the status quo can change the course of another person's career. I founded Living Law Better because I believe the future of our profession will be shaped not by the loudest voices, but by ordinary people choosing, every day, to leave things better than they found them.
The change I'd like to seeA profession where we stop waiting for change and start creating it, one action at a time.
My pledgeI pledge to leave every team, workplace and person a little better than I found them, and to help others realise they have the power to do the same.
EB
Eloise Butterworth
Head of Risk & Compliance, HiveRisk
Why Living Law Better matters to meI believe there is a better way — for the legal sector, for progression, for sustainable careers to flourish. I also believe in effective risk management, and culture and wellbeing form an integral part of that. I am committed to action over talk. I've built a career from challenging assumptions, calling out poor behaviour and pushing back against "the way it's always been". I've also experienced and recovered from burnout — I know what got me there, and what has pushed me close since. Living Law Better is built on the power of microactions dedicated to moving the needle and building a more sustainable profession for future generations.
The change I'd like to seeFor the profession to understand the need for long-term sustainability and accessibility in order to remain agile to emerging risks — ensuring it is future-proofed and able to attract and retain the best talent, regardless of gender, economic status or education.
My pledgeI pledge to challenge stereotypes and outdated assumptions by asking difficult questions, opening up uncomfortable discussions, and supporting those who do likewise.
CC
Clare Chappell
Partner, Carbon Law Partners
Why Living Law Better matters to meOver the years, I have helped many people leave damaging workplace cultures. The legal profession is no exception: from my own career and from acting for other lawyers, I have seen how law firm life can too often mean excessive hours, relentless pressure and expectations that are not sustainable. I want to help create wider, practical change: a healthier model for the profession that supports both excellent client service and the people delivering it, and leaves law better than I found it.
The change I'd like to seeI want to use my voice to celebrate what is good in the profession and build momentum for positive change, so others know they are not alone in wanting a kinder, more supportive culture.
My pledgeI pledge to keep supporting clients as they move forward in their careers, and to work with law firms that want to serve clients well while enabling their people to thrive.
LH
Lauren Hartigan-Pritchard
Partner & Head of Restructuring & Insolvency, Higgs LLP
Why Living Law Better matters to meI love my job — it's a privilege to work in a profession that changes clients' lives for the better, but we can, and should, do more to improve the experience of the people who work in the legal profession. Living Law Better is about creating a profession where success and wellbeing aren't competing priorities, and where we leave law better than we found it.
The change I'd like to seeI'd like every lawyer to feel they can succeed without sacrificing who they are.
My pledgeI pledge to challenge outdated thinking, support those around me and always lead with empathy.
HW
Heledd Wyn
Partner, Rothley Law
Why Living Law Better matters to meI've never believed the legal profession has to choose between excellence and humanity. The best lawyers do both.
Every day I work with people at some of the most vulnerable points in their lives, and I've seen first-hand that technical expertise has the greatest impact when it's delivered with empathy, courage and common sense. Living Law Better is an opportunity to challenge outdated thinking, celebrate the people who are quietly raising the bar, and help build a profession that's known not just for what it knows, but for how it treats people.
The change I'd like to seeI'd like to see a profession that measures success not only by the cases we win, but by the difference we make to people's lives.
My pledgeI pledge to keep asking, "Is there a better way to do this?", to bring others with me, and to leave the profession a little better than I found it.
EB
Emma Beynon
Legal Director (Projects Disputes), Anthony Collins
Why Living Law Better matters to meLiving Law Better matters to me because I care deeply about the legal profession being somewhere everyone in it, regardless of background or characteristics, can build long, healthy and fulfilling careers. Our client work is very important, yet too much of the lived experience is driven by artificial pressures and comes at a high cost. Having experienced burnout myself, I know it isn't something that can be fixed with a holiday or a couple of weeks off. Fundamentally, we are losing talented and gifted people to problematic behaviours and extreme workloads. That needs to change.
The change I'd like to seeA profession that encourages better behaviours towards each other, creates sustainable ways of working, and recognises the importance of nervous system regulation. People do their best work, and are less of a risk to themselves and others, when there is space for recovery, reflection and growth, not just survival.
My pledgeI pledge to be a leader that fully listens to and appreciates others, knowing that growth and resilience are not built through distress, but with support.
SM
Simon Marshall
Founder & CEO, TBD Marketing
Why Living Law Better matters to meI've spent 25 years inside and alongside law firms, and the pattern never really changes: the firms that thrive are the ones that treat their people well, and the ones that struggle have usually mistaken "how it's always been done" for "how it has to be done". I'm not a lawyer. I'm the marketer in the room. But I've watched too many brilliant people quietly burn out, and a smaller number of good leaders quietly refuse to let it happen. Culture isn't a soft issue. It's the issue. Get the people part right and the clients, the work and the reputation follow. My whole business is built on that conviction. So when Living Law Better started, I was glad to be invited in from the beginning — it's where I get to act on it.
The change I'd like to seeA profession that measures itself by how well it leads and keeps its people, not just by the hours it bills. Endurance should stop being worn as a badge of honour.
My pledgeI pledge to use whatever platform I have to celebrate the people leading law better, and to call out the behaviour that holds the profession back, even when it belongs to the biggest names in the room.
Say what's good. Start where you are.
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