What Do Lawyers and Law Students Really Think About Client-Facing Work?
Meridian West’s webinar brought together Bertie Heppel, Ben Kent, and Professor Nigel Spencer (Queen Mary University, London) to explore the barriers preventing lawyers from developing strong client-facing skills — and what firms can do about it.
Drawing on Meridian West’s Client First research, the session highlighted a clear link between client exposure and job satisfaction: lawyers who engage more with clients report higher motivation and stronger alignment with their firms. Yet significant barriers remain. Just 31% regularly research their clients’ businesses, 37% struggle to communicate complex information simply, and nearly half attend client events only once a quarter or less.
Focus groups with associates revealed four recurring obstacles: imposter syndrome and fear of stepping beyond narrow legal delivery; feeling excluded from client conversations dominated by partners; limited access to commercial information about matters and clients; and weak internal networks that hinder cross-selling.
The discussion pointed to practical solutions: building regularity of client contact from an early career stage, creating structured “quarterback” roles for associates, sharing commercial context more openly, and making business development a visible, incentivised activity rather than an annual afterthought. Nigel Spencer emphasised the importance of succession planning — clients want to know the next generation, and private equity investors increasingly look for depth of leadership as a marker of firm value.
Meridian West’s response is the Cascade Workshops series — seven modules designed to equip lawyers with the commercial and relational skills clients increasingly expect.
