By Legal Futures Associate Hoowla
We’ve attended a few events this year, and when we speak to non-Hoowla users, the feedback is always the same. Solicitors and conveyancers are working long hours, and there’s a consistent battle between maintaining high service levels and preserving that all-important work-life balance. This year, the SDLT deadline added even more pressure. Conveyancers across the board were pushed to their limits, even Hoowla users closed 5000 more cases than in March the previous year, as families rushed to complete ahead of the change.
It added strain to what is already a stressful profession. One of our founding principles at Hoowla is to help solicitors and conveyancers manage, and where possible, automate their caseloads so they can reclaim that balance and breathe a little easier. So, when we kept hearing the same conversations about long working days, we decided to look inwards. Not to challenge anyone’s experience, but to check if the software we’ve built is genuinely delivering what our users need: the tools to log off in good time, and the flexibility to reconnect with life outside the office. What we discovered was eye-opening.
To begin, we selected four firms who have been using Hoowla conveyancing software for over five years. They vary in size and structure. One is a large-volume firm, one is family-run, one is a multi-branch high street firm, and one has recently scaled from medium to large. They’re spread across the UK, providing a diverse cross-section. We analysed their average working hours by measuring the time of first login on the Hoowla dashboard to the last recorded activity or log out, focusing on the month of March and the SDLT deadline period.
Going in, we expected the data to reflect what the wider industry had been reporting: long days, with hours often stretching beyond the traditional nine to five and total weekly hours exceeding 45.
Instead, we found the opposite.
Across all four firms, the average working day came in at just over six hours. We were surprised too. We rechecked the data with our development team, ensured the parameters were right, and reran the report. The results were consistent.
When we drilled into the detail, the variation by role became clear. Firm owners and lead fee earners were typically working longer, averaging between eight and nine hours a day. Meanwhile, office assistants, trainees, and support staff were working between five and seven hours daily. At the largest firm in our sample, senior decision-makers were clocking in slightly above that, averaging nine to 10 hours a day.
Naturally, we then asked: does this impact completions? And how do these firms compare to industry benchmarks? So, we pulled those figures too.
The firm with the quickest completions had an average case lifecycle of 78 days. The firm with the longest took an average of 145 days. When we looked at all four firms combined, the average case completion time was 112 days. That’s below the 2024 industry average of 120 days.
To add further context, we’d previously run a broader analysis across over 350 firms using Hoowla. From that data set, average completion times came in at 125 days for purchase cases and 151 days for sales.
You can read our full article on completion timeframes, including a breakdown of the wider industry data, for more insight.
We’re not suggesting that every firm is working a traditional schedule. Every team has its own way of working, and every individual carries different responsibilities. We know that even among our own user base, some firms will naturally be working longer hours than those in this study. But we do believe that the cross-section we selected gives an honest, accurate picture based on size, structure, and case volume.
Alongside the incredible work our conveyancing users deliver daily, we believe that Hoowla plays a role in that as well. From reducing repetitive admin to improving communication, the software helps users manage cases more efficiently and with greater flexibility. It enables teams to stay on top of workloads without being stuck behind a screen long after the working day is meant to end. That kind of flexibility matters, not just for the individual, but for the sustainability of the entire profession.
Hoowla offers a suite of tools designed to simplify the day-to-day for conveyancers. This includes automated document and letter generation with your firm’s branding, digital client onboarding with e-signatures, and live milestone updates for clients and introducers. Our integrations connect with The Law Society, HM Land Registry, major search providers, and more, removing the need to jump between platforms. You can manage the entire transaction in one system, from initial instruction to post-completion and invoicing. Hoowla also gives firms the ability to customise workflows, track KPIs and team performance in real time, and communicate securely via branded emails and SMS.
Ultimately, we’re here to support the legal sector, to make working life more manageable, more modern, and more human. Hoowla users receive new features and improvements weekly, free of charge, and our support team is just a phone call or email away, no ticket numbers, no automated replies. Just real help when our users need it.
We’d encourage every firm, whether you’re using Hoowla or not, to ask the questions: is our case management software helping us work smarter, or slowing us down? Does it make our day easier, or does it complicate it? Are we genuinely using an all-in-one system, or are we switching screens and juggling systems to get a single job done?
If this has sparked a conversation in your firm, we’d love to hear it. And if it’s piqued your interest in Hoowla, why not book a no-obligation conveyancing software demo? You’ll be able to see what features our four firms are using, and how Hoowla could work for you.
