Law firms could be losing as much as £1 million a year each by failing to properly manage client enquiries, according to research drawn from what is described as one of the largest datasets on client satisfaction in the UK legal sector.
The findings come from LawNet, a national network supporting SME law firms, which has compiled more than 13 years of internal data alongside sector-wide statistics to examine how firms handle the client journey, from first enquiry through to the completion of work and beyond.
According to the analysis, client expectations have risen sharply in recent years, shaped in part by retail experiences and the availability of round-the-clock service in other sectors. Law firms, the research suggests, have often struggled to keep pace, resulting in lost opportunities at the earliest stage of client contact.
Among the key findings, only 40% of client-facing staff were found to use a client's name during conversations, while just 34% explained to potential clients why there might be a benefit in using their firm. The research also found that only 8% of potential clients received a follow-up after an initial website enquiry, and 14% after a phone-based enquiry.
The report argues that these follow-up moments are significant, describing them as more than a courtesy and instead a core part of building a client relationship. It suggests that a timely follow-up can be the point at which a passive enquiry becomes a committed instruction, in the same way that a considered contact at the end of a matter can turn a satisfied client into an advocate for the firm.
Both stages, the research notes, feed into a firm's net promoter score (NPS), a measure used across sectors to gauge client loyalty and satisfaction. NPS can be measured either at the enquiry stage or at the end of a matter, but is based on the same underlying question: whether a client would recommend the firm to friends or family.
The analysis highlights a gap in how most firms currently measure performance. It states that many firms track satisfaction only once a piece of work has been completed, without measuring the cost of enquiries that never convert into instructions in the first place. It is in this earlier stage, the research suggests, that firms may be able to make the greatest gains.
The data underpinning the report has been gathered through LawNet's Excellence Mark programme, a quality and client experience initiative now embedded within the network's ISO 9001 standard. The programme requires independent benchmarking assessments of member firms, carried out through client experience reviews and satisfaction surveys.
Over the past 13 years, the programme has generated more than 125,000 client satisfaction surveys and almost 11,000 client experience reviews, according to LawNet, forming what it describes as one of the largest datasets of its kind in the UK legal sector.
The organisation says that ongoing benchmarking has helped member firms identify where targeted improvements can be made. Average enquiry experience scores across the LawNet network are reported to have risen from 52% in 2013 to 79.3% this year. LawNet also compares its members' results against wider sector data annually, with its latest analysis showing member firms outperforming the broader sector benchmark by 33 percentage points.
End-of-matter satisfaction levels among LawNet firms are reported to be consistently high, with average results exceeding 97%. This figure is said to be almost 10 percentage points higher than results recorded by the Legal Services Consumer Panel in its own sector benchmarking work.
The report attributes these results to a focus on the complete client journey, rather than isolated touchpoints such as the initial enquiry or the conclusion of a matter alone.
The research was set out by Karen Clarkson, head of community and communications at LawNet, who leads the network's client experience community. Clarkson previously worked as marketing and business development director at Parker Bullen LLP and has experience in law firm management, marketing, events and member engagement. She joined LawNet in 2026.
In the report, Clarkson said that while performance may be measured in percentages, client experience is created through individual moments, such as a follow-up call or a conversation about value, adding that data can identify gaps in service but that people are required to close them.
The findings were published as part of ongoing work by LawNet's Excellence Mark programme and its client experience discussion group, which supports member firms in benchmarking and improving client-facing practices.
