Coworking for lawyers offers a unique set of benefits
Remote work has made all the headlines for the past two years, but many professionals feel a strong pull back to the office. Coworking for lawyers offers the best of both worlds.
For independent lawyers and small law firms, office space away from home offers a number of benefits:
Focus
Although American remote workers have proven their ability to remain productive, a separate office space can support focus and concentration. In a shared office setting or coworking space, you can set a schedule that best aligns with your most focused time.
The other professionals around you also show up at the space in order to focus and to reach their goals. That sort of positive peer pressure can serve as a great reminder to stay on task.
Work-life Separation
In addition to creating space to focus, an office away from home allows for a psychological separation between work and personal life.
According to a Joblist survey of remote workers:
“53.1% of respondents believed working remotely had made it more difficult to separate work and nonwork life.”
While at home, you’re less tempted to check work email. While at work, you won’t have piles of laundry taunting you. For lawyers, especially those who run their own firms, work-life balance must remain a priority.
Legitimacy and Professionalism
In order to develop trust and rapport with clients, regardless of practice area, lawyers need to maintain a high level of professionalism. An office with dedicated, and private, meeting space helps place clients at ease.
According to research on coworking vs. home offices:
“Past research finds that relative to established organization, new ventures often suffer from lack of legitimacy with customers, employees, and other key stakeholders. This is particularly true when founders work from home or out of a garage, as they have no setting to host meetings with potential customers, investors, or hires. Oftentimes they are forced to take these meetings at a coffee shop or restaurant, but this is seldom ideal…and the professional perception of the business is decreased.”
For new law firms in particular, conveying a sense of legitimacy becomes even more important. As you build your new firm’s reputation, clients need to feel that your client service ranks on par with your competitors.
Innovation and Support
Working alongside other entrepreneurial lawyers allows you to check yourself. In a home office, you can develop tunnel vision and quickly settle into a routine of your own making.
In contrast, working around other professionals allows you to hash out ideas and gain inspiration from others. The connections and community you build in a coworking space will inspire you to step outside of your own perspective. Fresh ideas and new ways of approaching business strategy will help you grow in a completely different way than if you go it alone.
Flexibility
Commercial office leases typically cover a term of three to five years. That kind of commitment can create unnecessary pressure to grow quickly and to spend all of your time there. A coworking space, on the other hand, allows you to grow at your own pace. You can also set your own schedule.
In that no-pressure context, you get to decide how and when your practice grows.
Ready to get out of your home office or ready to launch your new law firm? Reach out to us. We partner with lawyers in Denver who are redefining how law firms operate. We can help find a coworking or shared office solution that works best for you.
