Small Law Firms

The Best Times Lawyers Should Call Or Email Other Lawyers

Lawyers should keep a few things in mind about other lawyers' schedules.

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The legal profession is a lot like other industries in that most law firms abide by a standard workday, observe standard holidays, and otherwise have a traditional corporate culture. This means that attorneys and staff are usually at their desks during certain times of day and may be out of the office during some periods more than others. Of course, lawyers are usually far more responsive to emails and phone calls they receive when they are most likely to be at the grind handling legal matters, but counterparts often email or call outside these time periods. This can lead to some inefficient outcomes as some lawyers may miss emails and phone calls that they receive at inopportune times. Because I run my own practice, I am responsive pretty much each day and every time of day, but lawyers should keep a few things in mind when emailing and calling most other lawyers to have the best chance at receiving a prompt response.

Avoid Mondays

Anyone who has seen “Office Space,” or has worked in corporate America for some time, should know what a case of the “Mondays” is. Essentially, this describes a malaise that people feel when they return to work following the weekend and need to get back to the grind. Some lawyers just don’t like dealing with certain issues on Mondays since they have not quite gotten into work mode and are still somewhat stuck in the weekend, and this can keep people from getting a lawyer’s full attention.

Moreover, Mondays are usually the busiest day in a lawyer’s week. Lawyers usually get tons of emails and calls on Monday since people who waited all weekend to call or email a lawyer may try to get their message across as soon as possible. Indeed, the first two hours of a Monday are usually packed with calls and emails as people who really cannot wait to get hold of a lawyer try to call or email the first chance they get. As such, lawyers should try to avoid contacting other lawyers on Mondays and especially in the first few hours of the day if a matter can wait for a later time.

Avoid Fridays

Fridays are also a tough day for counterparts to get a hold of a lawyer. Many attorneys leave the office early on Friday, so the later in a day you try to call or email a lawyer, the less likely it is that they will respond, and the message might get lost in the weekend shuffle. In addition, many lawyers leave work early on Fridays, and the malaise that comes with looking forward to the weekend could lead to some inefficient outcomes. Of course, it would be nuts to say that counterparts should never contact lawyers on Fridays since Mondays are also tough, and counterparts cannot be expected to avoid contacting lawyers for four days. Nevertheless, if counterparts can try to contact a lawyer earlier in the week than Friday, this is advisable, and the earlier an email or phone call is made on Friday, the more likely it is that a lawyer will receive and respond to the call.

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Avoid Holidays

It might seem obvious that lawyers should try not to communicate with other lawyers during holidays, but many people violate this commonsense rule. Sometimes, this is because lawyers may not know that another lawyer celebrates a given holiday. Indeed, it can be difficult to keep track of the religious holidays that people may celebrate that can keep them indisposed for a period of time. In addition, many state courts close for a number of state holidays, and accordingly, law firms in those states also generally close their offices on said days because less work might be performed when courts are closed. It is usually a good idea for lawyers to check if a counterpart might be observing a holiday before communicating with them on that day to minimize the risk that the message will be lost over the holiday.

Around Holidays

Lawyers should also avoid communicating with other lawyers in the days leading up to holidays. Of course, it is usually not necessary to avoid communicating in the days leading up to less significant holidays. However, there are certain significant holidays in which lawyers may be out of pocket in the days following up on the holiday. For instance, lawyers may be less likely to be fully responsive around New Year’s, the Fourth of July, and Labor Day simply because people make bigger plans around those dates and might be indisposed. Moreover, sometimes law firms observe holidays during the week if a set holiday occurs on a weekend, and lawyers should be careful not to communicate around these days as well.

In the end, I am the type of lawyer who is responsive 24 hours a day, 7 days a week because I run my own practice and need to be reachable all the time. However, from my experience communicating with other lawyers, there are some guidelines attorneys should use when communicating with counterparts. These suggestions may seem obvious, but it is surprising how often people fail to follow this advice, and this can lead to inefficiencies in a representation.

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Jordan Rothman is a partner of The Rothman Law Firm, a full-service New York and New Jersey law firm. He is also the founder of Student Debt Diaries, a website discussing how he paid off his student loans. You can reach Jordan through email at jordan@rothmanlawyer.com.

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