Are Scotland's solicitors truly happy at work?

Where do you fit into the Scottish legal market and, perhaps more importantly, how happy are you now you’re there, asks Ellie Philpotts? This March, the Journal surveyed the profession on employment and salary.

The responses, from 1,888 Scottish solicitors (70% female, 30% male, and the remainder preferring not to say or self-describing), painted a pretty thorough picture of life in law, Scotland and 2026.

Sure, they show some stresses, but in this instalment of the Journal's series bringing some colour to the statistics, we’re focusing on something altogether a little more uplifting – workplace happiness.

So, what do the findings show? And how do solicitors define ‘workplace happiness’?

From across Scotland, they – again, a female-dominated cohort – shared their thoughts with the Journal.

How we work

Overall, satisfaction with the job we arrive at each day is reflected on positively. In the Journal’s 2026 Employment & Salary Survey, 66% of respondents are ‘satisfied’ or ‘very satisfied’, with 40% reporting contentment on the same scale related to opportunities for job advancement.

Lesley Larg, managing partner of Thorntons, considers this element: “Two-thirds of Scottish lawyers reporting job satisfaction is a positive picture, and the strong retention numbers reflect a profession that, for most people, remains a meaningful, worthwhile career.”

Some freedom over workplaces is a contributor towards workplace happiness, with 56% of men reporting flexibility meeting needs, and 49% of women. Others (46% of women, 40% of men) felt it mostly or partly met their needs.

“It is positive to see that many solicitors, both men and women, feel flexibility is working well for them,” notes Laura Meldrum, co-chair of Women in Law Scotland.

“It’s encouraging to see flexibility working across the board,” agrees Lesley. When over 95% of both men and women feel their working arrangements at least partly meet their needs, that suggests real progress on an issue that has historically been a sticking point.

“The gap between men and women feeling fully satisfied with their arrangements is worth watching. Seven percentage points may sound modest, but in a profession where women make up the majority of solicitors, closing that gap matters.”

Two years ago, Thorntons introduced market-leading maternity, paternity and adoption leave policies to remove financial barriers for all working parents, and the firm offers over 200 flexible working patterns, “reflecting the reality of people’s lives”. “That supportive culture has helped to grow our retention rate to 93% – higher than the industry average,” shares Lesley.

“Flexible practices is also a big benefit, making it easier to have a life outside work. Seeing those in management roles prioritising their staff as well as their own wellbeing is important in setting boundaries and expectations, particularly for junior staff,” echoes JustRight Scotland’s Laura Nairn.

Where we work

Solicitors’ physical premises matter too. This year, Thorntons moved to custom-built headquarters in Dundee, the design incorporating direct input from over 50 members in diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) networks, including a dedicated wellness room providing space for reflection, nursing mothers and faith-based practices.

And it’s not just big firms that prioritise office comfort for their people. At Wishaw’s family-run McGovern Reid, Frances Taylor enjoys carte blanche over her own room, which has recently been matched with more management of her own tasks following a promotion to associate.

She benefits from flexible working under a dynamic firm that doesn’t neglect socialising opportunities either. For instance, Wednesday 8am diary meetings are always virtual, saving on early morning travel time.

With men and women reporting comparable appetite for considering new roles, the matter of location seems to be a concern that will remain a priority. According to the survey, 10% of men are actively looking for a new role in the next year, compared to a similar 8% of women.

And would location impact whether solicitors started in law in the first place?

Starting afresh

Sixty-seven per cent of men would still become a lawyer if ‘doing it all again’ (over index vs the base), with a fairly even 61% of women reporting the same.

Frances has a clear answer for this: “Would I do it again if provided the opportunity to undertake my traineeship in a high-street firm and remain there four years later? Yes, yes and yes. My most recent progression tells me my employer does view my role as irreplaceable and wishes to retain me as part of its ever-growing firm.

For Frances, if happiness at work does dwindle it’s usually down to aspects of the profession most will agree are naturally more stressful, rather than her workplace itself. This might be the feeling of being needed in two places at once, or looming trials. She tries to counteract this through planning and organised timesheets – and remembering what drew her to law: making a difference, as depicted by making the finals of the Scottish Legal Awards 2026.

“The fact that fewer women say they would choose law again suggests that, for many, the profession may still feel harder to sustain over the long term. That should prompt all of us to reflect on what more can be done to ensure women not only enter the profession but are supported to thrive and remain in it,” suggests Laura Meldrum. “So these findings reflect a mixed picture.”

The juggle

Interestingly, the survey results suggest satisfaction is most defined by work-life balance (66%), and then salary (59%). Only workplace culture (38%) and quality of work (31%) were reported as factors by more than 30% of respondents.

Pinsent Masons Vario is one Scottish-based law firm that knows – and puts into practice – the value of informing a healthy work-life balance through flexible working.

Geraldine Kelm, its global head of flexible services, reveals some recent trends as well as why there is a need to prioritise this kind of working: “Previously, Pinsent Masons Vario and other alternative legal services providers primarily offered a different career path for more senior solicitors who were financially secure and wanted access to high-quality legal work but without the broader management and leadership responsibilities associated with partnership or senior in-house roles. Taking on freelance positions allowed them to achieve this and focus on interesting legal and project work. Increasingly, however, we’re also seeing younger lawyers seeking out alternative career routes much earlier in their careers, in the pursuit of greater autonomy and flexibility.

“So having some autonomy over how work happens, in the face of an unpredictable profession with intense hours and clients from all backgrounds, seems to speak volumes. When it feels like the profession is vast, there are ways those in it can look after themselves and maybe impact those working around them too.”

Solicitors wanting to protect emotional needs in the office and beyond can complete Scotland’s Mental Health First Aid course. The Law Society of Scotland is taking the findings behind the survey seriously too, through initiatives like Lawscot Wellbeing, LawCare and WIDEN, representing mental health and social mobility alongside various legal groups.