The Work of the Family Bar, commissioned by the the Family Law Bar Association found that cuts to legal aid pay are driving family barristers away from the profession.
It describes the profession as "close to breaking point".
Pay cuts are "demoralising" family barristers, as are complex caseloads, the pressure associated with protecting vulnerable clients, and disruptive patterns of work.
The report found that many family barristers supplement their legal aid work with private business.
Black and minority ethnic women do the most legal aid work, but are the worst paid, with a quarter of them earning less than £32,000 a year.
Lucy Theis QC, chair of the Family Law Bar Association, said that problems in the family justice system are "extremely grave" for the most vulnerable in society.
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