By Julius Melnitzer | October 30, 2025
MORE EVIDENCE THAT LAWYERS’ WELL-BEING IS AN ILLUSION
Three news reports have surfaced indicating that lawyers’ well-being may be more talk than walk:
- A Legal Cheek survey has revealed that junior lawyers at large international firms in London are putting in up to 13 working hours daily. No surprise, then, that a 2024 Law Society study in the UK concluded that lawyers’ with up to six years’ experience are “less happy, less fulfilled and more anxious” than their seniors;
- A survey by the Legal Aid Practitioners Group in the UK revealed that legal aid lawyers spend a quarter of their day on unpaid work; and
- A survey of 1,500 UK legal professionals by LawCare, a legal mental health charity, found that one-third plan to leave the profession within five years. Half reported experiencing anxiety “often, very often, or all the time”; 79% regularly worked beyond their contracted hours’; 8.5% logged more than 21 hours of overtime weekly; 20% experienced bullying, harassment or discrimination. The report includes a foreword by Baroness Carr, the UK’s Lady Chief Justice.
Related Article: For all the brouhaha, law firms – and especially Canadian firms – are still “missing the boat” on wellness – and profit
DO LAWYERS REALLY SUPPORT THE RULE OF LAW?
In May 2025, a group of Canadian lawyers asked their colleagues to reconfirm their commitment to the rule of law. They set up a website where lawyers could register their pledges, an endeavour requiring barely a moment’s effort. Of Canada’s 41,000 lawyers, less than 1,100, or less than 3%, have taken the trouble to sign up. Which, to my mind, only proves that lawyers’ mouths, intended to be their most effective body part, have again made sure that form overwhelms substance. The rhetoric has not been lacking: Chief Justice Richard Wagner and Sean Fraser, Canada’s Minister of Justice and Attorney General, expressed their concerns about losing the benefits of the Rule of Law at the recent Supreme Court of Canada opening ceremonies; the Federal of Law Societies of Canada, the Canadian Bar Association, the Law Society of Alberta, and the Law Society of Manitoba have highlighted the rule of law’s significance as the foundation of democracy; Canadian Lawyer featured an article by lawyer Cheryl Foy in which she argues that lawyers have a professional obligation to act as “natural defenders of democracy and the rule of law”; and the American Bar Association has recommended that lawyers take an oath to protect the rule of law. That’s a lot of noise: as far as I can tell, the dismal numbers who have signed the Canadian Rule of Law Pledge demonstrates, at the very least, that the country’s lawyers need hearing aids.
Related Article: Rule of Law Pledges
NOT FAKE: DEEPFAKE UPDATES
Here are some recent development in the relationship between artificial intelligence and the law:
- There has been a 250% increase in AI hallucinations in legal decisions globally since May, with 32 cases recorded in Canada so far;
- The 2025 Vals Legal AI Report has found that Alexi‘s AI platform was more accurate than real live lawyers in dealing with legal research: 80% compared to 71%, a 13% relative advantage;
- A California judge has dismissed a case in its entirety after the self-represented plaintiffs submitted deepfake videos and altered images in support of their motion for summary judgment. The judge stated that the court did not have “the time, funding, or technical expertise” to determine the authenticity of all of the plaintiff’s exhibits”;
- The California Court of Appeals has refused to award attorneys’ fees or costs to defence counsel for failing to detect AI hallucinations in opposing counsel’s filings;
- FantasticLawyers.com has launched a beta version of Fantastic Lawyers Rating, the first AI tool aimed a providing lawyers with an instant rating of their online reputations;
- AI legaltech platform Lawhive has acquired UK law firm Woodstock Legal Services, marking what appears to be the first-ever acquisition of a traditional firm by an AI platform;
- Alexi, a legal intelligence platform, has announced a product partnership with iManage, a knowledge work platform. The partnership connects the two platforms by way of reducing manual work, improving knowledge continuity, and enhancing client delivery; and
- Alexi has also launched its customizable Workflow Library designed to automate high-volume and high-value legal tasks.
Related Article: World’s first AI law firm says system can do “anything”
DLA PIPER APPOINTS RESTRUCTURING GROUP CO-HEAD
Jeffrey Bradshaw has joined Edmond Lamek as co-head of DLA Piper’s Canadian restructuring group, succeeding Colin Brousson. Bradshaw has been with the firm since 2020, where he acts on behalf of financial institutions, creditors, debtors, trustees and court-appointed receivers in bankruptcies, proposals, receiverships and corporate restructurings.
Related Article: DLA Piper teams with Women+Power
SOLICITOR WHO CHAMPIONS EMPLOYEES IS GB BEAUTY QUEEN
Alice Cutler, a 28-year-old property development lawyer, has been crowned Miss Great Britain. During the proceedings, Cutler highlighted Time to Grieve, her personal campaign seeking statutory paid bereavement leave for employees. The campaign emphasizes that no one should have to choose between their job and their grief.
Related Article: 60-year-old lawyer seeks Miss Universe crown
Julius Melnitzer is a Toronto-based legal affairs writer, ghostwriter, writing coach and media trainer. Readers can reach him at julius@legalwriter.net or on his website.