The firm puts the relationship with the client above putting in unexpected bills, according to a discussion that Mr Saul had with presenter Evan Davis on the Radio 4 programme "The Bottom Line". 'The essence is to nurture the relationship,' said Mr Saul. Sometimes compromises are made, he told listeners - 'because clients don't like surprises'. So a bill will not be sent out until it has been discussed on the phone with the client. If the client were unhappy then an adjustment might be made.

No hours targets

A 'refreshing thing' about Slaughters, says its senior partner, is that no target is set for the number of hours that individuals must work. Although he said that the region is likely to be in the area of 1,500 to 1,800 to 2,000 of hours a year, Mr Saul said that giving people targets can promote inefficiency. And there is 'no connection' between the billable hour and the size of an employee's bonus. The 'bonus is not attached to the time spent', he said. He added that he thought a connection between billable hours and bonus levels was made in many other law firms. Source: BBC