Responsive

What does "be responsive" mean in practice?

This is a common (generic and vague) piece of advice associates receive when entering law firms.

I rarely see actionable definitions, leaving a lot of us wondering, "What do you mean by that?"

Although it can vary from partner to partner and client to client, I strive for:

📩 Acknowledging any email that gives an assignment or task within the same business day (unless it comes in too late to do so);

and

📩 Responding substantively within 24 hours or within the timeframe laid out by the requestor or in the response above (you can provide turnaround times when acknowledging the email).

What do you mean when you tell people, "Be responsive"?

#lawyerwellbeing #email #productivity #bestadvice #gettingthingsdone