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28 www.canadianlawyermag.com TOP 25 MOST INFLUENTIAL LAWYERS 2025 disorder, along with her strategic advocacy, that has positioned her among the most influ- ential lawyers in the country. Signature impact In 2024, Beattie co-edited The Right Not to Remain Silent: The Truth About Mental Health in the Legal Profession, a bestselling anthology of unfiltered personal accounts from 15 lawyers and two judges. Her own essay, detailing her experience with bipolar disorder, helped break a long- standing silence in law. The book has become a landmark contribution, influencing legal culture and modelling inclusion in practice. She also co-founded Voices for Mental Health, an advocacy group within govern- ment that has delivered over 50 sessions on topics such as depression, anxiety, intersec- tionality, addiction, and imposter syndrome. Beattie is quick to credit her collabora- tors. "I've played a major role in these initia- tives, but I'm not one voice. There's strength in numbers, and we have each other's backs. That's when the whole becomes greater than the sum of its parts," she says. This work has already received recogni- tion, including the Deputy's Award of Excel- lence in 2019. But Beattie remains focused on outcomes. She cites a recent Université de Sherbrooke study revealing that lawyers expe- rience significantly higher levels of psycho- logical distress than the general population. Nearly 60 percent report symptoms of depres- sion, 35.7 percent experience anxiety, and 24 percent have had suicidal thoughts. "The numbers are remarkable," she says. "That's why it's absolutely urgent to address these issues now, because lawyers are suffering." Structural issues persist. Long hours, a culture of overwork, and what former Chief Justice George Strathy described as the "gladiator litigator model" still define many legal environments. Beattie sees signs of progress, however, including regular meet- ings among large Bay Street firms to share mental health strategies. She remains realistic about the obstacles. "Many lawyers don't have time or energy at the end of the day to address their own mental health. The structure of practice makes it hard to get those needs met," she says. "That's why the change must come now. We've made real progress in starting the conversation; now we have to follow through." Ripple effect For the past five years, Beattie has co-chaired the Law Society of Ontario's Mental Health Summit for Legal Professionals, now the most attended CPD program in the regulator's history, drawing over 6,000 participants annually. The summit has become a cultural touchstone, helping normalize mental health dialogue in law offices, courthouses, and law schools. Her thought leadership blends legal rigour with storytelling, an approach that has encouraged professionals across the system to seek support, offer help, and advocate for systemic change. The summit's success lies in its diversity of voices. Judges, in-house counsel, Bay Street partners, solo practitioners, and academics speak candidly from their own experiences. Beattie also emphasizes the value of everyday honesty, not just about mental illness but about the emotional toll of legal work. "It's about building a more compassionate culture," she says. "You start hearing people say, 'I've got terrible imposter syndrome,' and others respond, 'I've got that, too.' That's how we normalize it – by telling the truth." What's next? Beattie remains at the forefront of reori- enting the profession's view of wellness and success. She will continue to lead the Mental Health Summit and guide peer-driven initia- tives within government. Her voice remains central as legal work- places reconsider how to support inclusion, flexibility, and psychological safety. "Fundamentally, this change is being driven by people speaking publicly, senior lawyers, judges, even younger professionals, "Lawyers are still going to work hard, and I don't think employers have to worry that their lawyers are going to demand working no more than 40 hours a week. Law offices should focus on making people happier and giving them the space to meet their needs" Beth Beattie, LSM, Ontario's Ministry of the Attorney General sharing their lived experience," she says. "Some go even further, offering practical strategies for changing the profession. And that's where transformation begins." INSIGHTS As part of our editorial process, Key Media's researchers interviewed the subject matter experts below for an analysis of this report and its findings. Steve Assie General Manager, Global Large Law Firms Thomson Reuters Kirsti McHenry Executive Director Pro Bono Ontario SPECIAL REPORT