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But whilst it’s important to keep clients happy, firms need to ensure this doesn’t come at the expense of legal staff - especially if their home lives are being disrupted by feeling compelled to respond to clients at all hours. Drawing the right balance is particularly crucial for small firms, which may lack the resources of larger peers who can hire dedicated client service staff.

One respondent to the Bellwether report noted: “I think clients expect an instant response and that’s probably because over the last two years more of them have been buying online where they get an instant response or they are getting an online chat or something that happens straight away.”

Elsewhere, a 2022 SRA survey revealed that one in four lawyers felt that their firm did not have a positive culture, partly as a result of pressures from clients.

One small firm which responded to the aforementioned SRA survey noted: “We protect employees from long working hours by managing client expectations at an early stage. We send a communication guide to all new clients that sets out their normal working hours and stipulates that staff cannot be contacted while on leave.” 

A respondent to the Bellwether report reiterated the advantages of setting clear boundaries: “We talk to people a lot about people managing client’s expectations, explaining to them right at the start what kind of response they’re going to get. I think if you’re clear with clients early on then most of them are quite okay about it.”

Aside from expecting a 24/7 service, some clients can be challenging in other ways. Whilst the legal sector in the UK generally has a positive culture for women and minority groups, some industries have more ingrained problems with discrimination, and attitudes from certain clients may occasionally cause discomfort for legal staff. Even if it’s not discriminatory, client behaviour which causes anyone to feel uncomfortable should not be tolerated. To combat this, firms can include a code of conduct alongside client expectations, and encourage staff to raise any problems with their line manager or HR.