The ABA's 2026 study of 2,915 lawyers found a wide gap between women and men. The finding firms should act on is quieter, and it's about the wellbeing policies they already pay for.
The numbers
In August 2026 the ABA Commission on Women in the Profession published a national survey of 2,915 lawyers. Women came out worse than men on nearly everything it measured.
Women also rated their own calm and happiness lower (55.6 out of 100, against 62.9 for men), and named sleep as their biggest stressor.
We know about the resources our firms offer. We aren’t using them.
The real finding
Most women in the study knew their workplace offered wellbeing support, counseling especially, and didn’t use it. Two worries kept coming up. Would it really stay confidential? And would it make them look less committed? Both were strongest where long hours and constant availability are the norm.
What works
The policies that worked weren’t the best-written ones. They were the ones senior people were seen using, with leaders saying out loud that nobody would be penalized for doing the same. A partner who takes the leave and mentions it changes the math for everyone below her.
The risk for firms
When nobody calls the assistance line, leadership decides the problem can’t be that bad. The cost shows up later instead: the fourth-year who resigns without warning, the matter that slips in a rushed handoff, the review that turns into an exit interview.
What the report asks for
The pressures weren’t the same for every woman. Women of color more often described unequal treatment and having to prove their competence. White women more often described the workload itself.
The figures on this page come from the sources below.
No. The PHQ-4 is four questions about anxiety and depressive symptoms over the previous two weeks. A score of three or more on either half suggests someone is worth a closer look. It shows who is worth a conversation, not who is unwell, and an employer shouldn't use it as a diagnosis.
No. This report comes from the ABA Commission on Women in the Profession, with its own sample, questionnaire and focus. The update to the 2016 study is a separate project run by the ABA Commission on Lawyer Assistance Programs, published in the Journal of Affective Disorders on 6 September 2026.
Because that's where the data pointed. Women generally knew their workplaces offered wellbeing resources and weren't using them, because they didn't trust them. Whether a policy worked came down less to the policy existing than to whether senior people were seen using it and said clearly that nobody would be penalized for doing the same.
Stop reading low uptake as low need. If hardly anyone uses the wellbeing resources you offer, this report suggests trust is at least as likely a reason as demand. The cheapest first step is a few senior people using what already exists, openly, and saying so.
Attorney Wellness Project works with firms on the part that isn't written down: CLE accredited per engagement and jurisdiction, certification, coaching and firm-level programs, delivered by people who have practiced.
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