The Dual Challenge Facing Professional Firms

Unlocking the 'Client First' Advantage with our Cascade Workshops

Skills development workshops to enhance client-handling skills of professionals

Published in November 2025, the Unlocking ‘Client First’ Advantage research set out to examine how client-handling skills are shaping both client satisfaction and professionals’ career fulfilment.

It found that persistent client concerns around communication, commercial awareness and consistency, stem from underdeveloped client-facing skills.

The core human skill of communication emerges as the primary challenge, with a large share of respondents, at thirty-six percent, citing “the challenge of communicating complex information simply” as their top personal obstacle in delivering outstanding client experiences (see below).

The findings show that structured, early and sustained opportunities to build these skills create more confident ‘Client First’ professionals who deliver stronger service and enjoy significantly higher career satisfaction.

36%

cite "communicating complex information simply" as their top personal obstacle

In response, this overview outlines a range of skills development workshops designed to help firms enhance their professionals’ confidence, and proficiency in these key areas.

The solutions bring together a collaboration of subject-matter expert trainers arranged by Meridian West, PQE and The Results Consultancy.

Client Skills Cascade Workshops

These workshops are for managers, associates, and other junior to mid-level professionals at law, accountancy, property and consultancy firms.

Format

Each session is 60-90 minutes

The approach is modular, so professionals can attend all sessions or those that are particularly relevant to them.

Each session is supported with training materials including case studies, client research and top tips.

In-person or online.

Up to 20 participants per session.

£2,500 (plus VAT) per session

Workshop structure

A summary of the research on client expectations and pain points.

Commentary and experience stories from facilitator and role model.

Group discussion about pain points and ideas of how to address them including behavioural and structural ideas.

Interactive exercises and frameworks (e.g. stakeholder mapping)

Each participant to complete their own personal action plan.

Workshop 1

Pricing, value for money, and fee-transparency

"I have no issue with paying fairly for work done but I do expect firms to stick to the agreed fee… You should also think about using associates when practical and how the work is resourced."

The issue

Clients are concerned about high fees, competitiveness, and a lack of transparency and predictability in billing. They want more frequent budget monitoring, timely invoicing, and clearer communication.

Some complain that infrequent billing leads to large, unexpected invoices and that estimates are sometimes exceeded without warning. There is a demand for pricing to better align with expectations and market norms, especially for simpler or lower-value work.

The solution

This workshop helps professionals pitch competitively yet transparently, increasing the predictability of fees for clients. Innovative fee structures are discussed, with a focus on regular client communications and engagement to ensure that clients feel their money has been spent wisely and carefully by their firm.

Topics covered

Understanding client demands for predictable and affordable pricing.
Understanding the drivers of matter profitability, enabling professionals to deliver competitive quotes while earning a fair return.
How to quote effectively, using psychological insights to give clients choice while preserving matter profitability.
Understanding alternative fee models and their implications.
Communicating proactively with clients so that they are comfortable with scope and price changes.
Negotiating prices in the context of other variables, looking in some detail at balancing profit with cash-flow when agreeing terms

Facilitated by Roy Pearce, Jason Haines and Jonathan Fox

Workshop 2

Tailoring pitches and proposals

"At the presentation stage… your answers would have benefited from specific examples around relevant work done to date and the steps [your firm] would take to add value."

The issue

Clients find proposals often feel generic, lacking specific tailoring to their needs, sector, or project challenges. Responses can lean
too heavily on general firm experience or processes rather than client-focused examples, case studies, or practical plans. They also want to see an understanding of their business, context, and desired outcomes.

High-level or inward-looking proposals, lacking metrics,
milestones, or concrete commitments, are less likely to succeed.

The solution

This session helps professionals understand client needs and expectations when pitching for work. They will learn to respond in a tailored and impactful way and increase their chances of winning.

Topics covered

Understanding the factors that clients use to choose one firm
over another.
How to create a tailored, impactful and memorable ‘elevator
pitch’ which articulates why you are the best choice for them.
How to bring your experience alive in impactful ways, for
example by using experience stories, addressing the key
questions clients are seeking to answer.
From research on what clients like in their pitch presentations,
we share proven techniques to elevate your efforts.

Facilitated by James Stringer, Stephen Newton and Jonathan Fox

Workshop 3

Understanding and managing client stakeholders effectively

"You want to be working with someone who really wants to understand what your business strategies are, who your competitors are, who your regulators are… You want to feel like they are our partner."

The issue

Many problems of poor client service can be tracked back to a failure to properly understand who in the client you are servicing and what their expectations, preferences and internal pressures are.

The solution

The workshop helps professionals understand how clients operate – their structure, and who makes decisions. They will learn how to tailor their communication to different audiences. Finally, we will discuss how to become a trusted adviser to clients.

Topics covered

Understanding the client’s business, risk appetite and internal dynamics.
Stakeholder mapping and multi audience thinking.
Plain English, succinct and usable communication.
Crafting short, clear, recommendation led outputs tailored to non-professionals.
Moving beyond one-off projects to become a trusted partner clients turn to repeatedly.
Setting up honest two-way conversations about what’s working, what isn’t, and how to improve the relationship.

Facilitated by Roy Pearce, Dr Nigel Spencer, Stephen Newton and Jonathan Fox

Workshop 4

Project management excellence to deliver client service delight

"There's room for improvement in project management. What really sets firms apart is their ability to break down a matter into distinct work streams and then actively track progress as the work unfolds. I'm usually the one who has to ask for a work plan, and even when one is created, it rarely remains a living document that gets updated."

The issue

Professional services firms often struggle with project management – failing to provide clear workplans, timelines and regular updates without being chased by clients. This creates inefficiency through poor handoffs, duplication of effort, and inconsistent coordination between teams, particularly on complex cross-jurisdictional matters.

The solution

The workshop helps professionals design and implement project plans to time and budget. It will combine discussion of project management techniques with practical tips from practitioners. Professionals will learn how to deliver a great, consistent client
experience whilst also maintaining project profitability.

Topics covered

Anticipating roadblocks, estimating time and costs, and creating a practical workplan
Coordinating across practices, geographies and specialists
Creating a regular rhythm of updates that connect progress, risks, and fees – keeping clients informed without them having
to ask
Unmasking problems: risk identification and management, avoiding cognitive flaws (favouring good news over bad; delayed reporting; avoiding difficult questions/discussions)
Conducting after-action reviews, gathering client feedback, capturing innovative solutions, and knowing when to bring in dedicated project management support.
Making use of technology (in conjunction with the client’s stack) Project dashboards, financial tracking, task tracking, issue tracking, Document management, commenting and version control

Facilitated by Marc Döring and Roy Pearce

Workshop 5

Delivering client value through successful teamwork

"I feel that partners are becoming more thinly stretched. They don't necessarily have the quality of resources underneath them. The inconsistency is not around their expertise. It's around the service."

The issue

Clients value stable, well-led teams but report issues with continuity, visibility of key individuals, and clarity of roles. They can be unsure who their main contacts are, particularly when new people join or there is turnover. Some believe junior resource could be used more effectively for routine work, while overstaffed meetings can signal inefficiency. Succession planning and proactive introductions to new or replacement team members are frequent requests.

The solution

The workshop will help professionals clarify roles on matters, integrate juniors into client relationships without over-staffing and ensure clients get a consistent experience.

Topics covered

How to define and communicate who is relationship lead, matter lead, day to day contact and escalation point.
How to plan and execute handovers, brief successors, and stage early introductions so clients do not feel they are
“starting from scratch” when people move, and so succession planning reflects what clients see as “realistic” and aligned with their preferences.
Practical methods for cross team coordination so support feels “seamless and joined up… as one firm, one team”, rather than siloed by practice or office.
Practical ways to give associates first hand exposure so clients can “talk to the person who’s doing the work”, while keeping meetings lean and ensuring there is a visible “manager” layer bridging partner and delivery team.

Facilitated by Marc Döring, Roy Pearce and Julie Gottlieb

Workshop 6

Commerciality and practicality of advice

"There's no point advising on risks that are hypothetical… or essentially advising your business into paralysis… I want to read advice like it's coming from a business person who has legal training, not from an academic."

The issue

While technical quality is strong, clients sometimes find advice overly cautious, theoretical, or lacking clear recommendations. They want more commercially attuned, pragmatic guidance that reflects their risk appetite, business context, and decision-
making needs. Some feel advice can “sit on the fence” or be insufficiently tailored.

Clients particularly value concise, business-friendly summaries that distil complex technical issues and are easy to share internally.

The solution

The workshops will help professionals understand what makes business people tick. It will also explore how to use this understanding to deliver advice that is correct and practical.

Topics covered

Understanding the business mindset – defined by opportunity hypothesis rather than risk appetite; thinking in numbers; working from the commercial hypothesis to the law rather than vice versa
Understanding the roles and needs of the in-house team; listening to the client, understanding ‘trade off’ and avoiding
‘adviser syndrome’
What ‘practical’ professional advice looks like, thinking
through how the advice can/will be manifested by the organisation from human and process perspectives
Principles of written communication – Summarise key points up front, signpost with headings and use bullet points, use schedules if needed to explain detailed analysis, list key actions with deadlines and, where known, person responsible

Facilitated by Mila Trezza, Jonny Searle, Jeremy Tobias-Tarsh and Roy Pearce

Workshop 7

Understanding client needs to enhance proactivity

"One of the firms that is the standout in that area, the partner is super proactive in thinking about how he can add value to us. All firms will send out alerts about new cases or regulatory developments; this partner every week sends a tailored roundup of everything that might be of particular interest to us."

The issue

Clients appreciate proactive advisors but say this is inconsistent. They want more regular updates, horizon scanning, and thought leadership tailored to their business.

The solution

This workshop helps professionals develop a plan for their clients to ensure they stay at the forefront of their minds.

Topics covered

How to create a ‘rolling agenda’ with clients and how to use effective ways to stay in touch
How to have a meaningful business development conversation that seeks to understand more about the challenges and opportunities that exist for their contact and which can be addressed
How a ‘hook’ can be used to get their contact’s attention linked to insight and ideas that are relevant, valuable
and interesting
How to highlight a hot topic that may be of interest both within their own area of specialism but also how to use the topics of others to bring new areas of assistance

Facilitated by James Stringer