Some clients genuinely need to jump to the front of the queue. Conversely, some don't need to but want to jump to the front of the queue. The question is; ‘should they pay more for the privilege of doing so?’

Lawyers must constantly prioritise competing client demands and cope with the exasperation wrought by clients who think that we are sitting at our desks twiddling our thumbs waiting for them to phone us with new instructions.

Was it the public who started insisting on it or was it lawyers who thought it would be a splendid way to differentiate themselves from their competitors, and lure clients into the fold as a precursor to good fee paying work?