I'm trying to get someone to phone me because I don't understand the reasoning for their position or the brief e-mail explanation they have provided.  So much easier to be able to actually ask questions and get an immediate answer.

But how will you have a record of these answers?

For sheer piss-boiling annoyance, voice messages

unless its to have a genuine discussion like sails said, people who phone out of the blue just can't be bothered to type.  

there is a belief that the phone is efficient and quick 

that might have been true 20 years ago, these days a 2 line email is quicker than a 40 minute call involving 5 people, 3 of whom aren't briefed on the project or status but who are keen to show they have spotted a problem you can all discuss pointlessly 

Much prefer a phone call rather than going back and forth over email. Infinitely easier.

I think both can be useful depending on the circumstances. 

Apologies for the balanced answer.

Phone calls can’t be read back at you at a public enquiry.

you can often extract info from the other side on the phone that you would never get in writing.

Nor can whatsapp messages if you're canny YWTF!

If I ever phone you, you can be sure it's to say something that would get me in a lot of trouble if I wrote it down...

can end up talking past one another in email whereas more real-time feedback tends to get things on course more quickly in certain circs.

Agree that mindless chasing etc. is pointless if done over the phone or a joint read through of a doc is pointless as well.

If its complex advisory stuff sometimes verbalising it to support the written correspondence is helpful to get people on the same page. 

If you are having to hold an unreasonable position then hide behind email. If you are more ‘in the right’ then call. 

email is a fvcking PITA

my optimal number of emails to receive that do not attach a document is zero

my optimum proportion of business to transact by phone is - all of it

I have before now been met by an antsy response from the other side “we don’t believe a call is needed” and then literally threatened to stop all work on their client’s transaction until we have a call

Often the province of bully boys at a very senior level who don't want to put anything in writing. but are in a weaker position.

'Get them on the phone, I know him and will sort it out'. That's when you have to start taping everything.

who the fvck tapes anything you mentalist, it’s not Line of Duty

'Hi Brad, just find me 11,870 more votes will you?'

That’s the other thing. An email gives you some time to think and give the right answer, or at least the answer I want to give. 

A phone call usually ends with me saying, let me look into that and I’ll get back to you (with a fooking email). 

Better though imo to phone than have yet another pointless, time wasting meeting.

rof is full of toxic introverts pt826374

I prefer talking to humans to sniping them with electronic bullets of hate

Phoning an oppo lawyer out of the blue on a matter is really just for rogue lawyers like Laz.

Anyone who does that to me is firmly told that I am in the middle of something else, and to put what they want to say in an email.

LOL 

and who would give a shite?

Communicating something verbally can be much warmer and leaves less room for misunderstanding, I would have thought this is obvious. 

The received wisdom used to be you could sort stuff with a short call but given no millennial can have any interaction without a follow up email telling you something at odds with plain English and mainly how they feel, you’re wasting your breath these days. 

I actually hate non-scheduled mobile calls these days unless I am driving and have nothing else to do.  I will almost always reject them.  Also my vm is set up to just say I am busy, there is no option to leave a message.  Let's not forget the over-zealous lawyer who emailed my to say can we have a quick completion call...I mean wtf.  He then called me to say we are no formally completing.  I was shocked.

*now

email is a terrible form of comms

calls are much better imo

what rodge said obv

I am with laz on this.  A phone call is a brilliant thing.  

The problem with email is that you cant predict the internal tone in which it will be read (or which will be read into it).

Chat for two minutes, job done.  And if you're in PP, bill for 45, u cheeky scamps

There’s probably a difference between litigation work that us proper lawyers practice, and the paper shufflers.

This dividing line on this thread baffles me

I can imagine settling half the issues I’ve dealt with in the last year without teams/zoom calls

Obviously paperwork and emails frame it but at some point  the “blockers” on most deals are closed off on calls

E-mails / texts etc fine for imparting neutral info.  

But where you need to persuade, or where you need to discuss offline, or to defuse a row - phone every time.

The kids' real reason for their dislike of voice calls is the fact that they can't control their message / image as easily in a call as in a message - spontaneity scares the poor dears:

https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/gen-z-developing-fear-of-phone-calls-or-phone-phobia/

I distinguish teams/zoom - which are essentially meetings - from pure calls.