How will the law office of the future change?
The way we work has been changing for several years, and the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated some of those changes. For the legal industry, the law office of the future could look quite different.
A return to the office
With the onset of remote work during lockdown, you might expect that change to take the form of virtual offices. However, many lawyers have reported missing some key elements of working live and in-person with colleagues and clients.
As reported by Law.com:
“Whether it’s because lawyers are going stir crazy at home or because law firms have truly lost something significant by transitioning to remote work, there has been a growing dialogue about returning to the office once the coronavirus pandemic subsides. But the office itself may not look the same as lawyers left it.”
A Gensler survey revealed that 46 percent of lawyers would prefer to work in an office five days per week. Only 10 percent want to work remotely full-time, and another 28 percent would like to have a combination of remote work and in-office time. That landscape will help shape law firms’ decisions about real estate moving forward.
The changing law office
Recent reports from major architecture firms, such as Gensler, show a move away from large footprint offices. Some large law firms have opted for a flat structure in terms of layout and space allotted to both associates and partners; assigning the same square footage to all firm attorneys regardless of title or tenure.
Partner offices once covered more than 1,000 square feet. Now, most firms have halved that. In addition, attorneys working in the office only part-time might not need dedicated private offices. Firms can designate some areas as flex space, available to anyone who might be in the office on a given day.
Firm leaders will begin to ask themselves:
- Why pay rent on a huge space when only half of the staff might be in the office at one time?
- Why dedicate large swaths of valuable space to partner offices when a smaller office will suffice
- With more records going online and to cloud storage, why follow traditional law firm models that had to allow for file storage space?
- Could our firm operate more efficiently with a different approach to attorney and staff schedules?
- Do I need to be in a pricey downtown core, or would a more cost-effective location work just as well?
- Why stick with the status quo when we could dramatically reduce overhead with a new approach to real estate?
Regardless of your law firm’s size, it could pay off to critically review your real estate outlay and consider a new approach.
Alternatives to traditional law offices
Taking a new approach to law firm real estate doesn’t limit firms only to the questions of size and location. Other options can help law firms reduce real estate overhead costs while enjoying the value of a physical office space:
- Subleases. For large law firms, subletting excess space to small law firms or independent lawyers can solve the problem without the need to move or to negotiate a new lease.
- Shared office space and coworking. For small law firms and independent lawyers who wish to avoid lease headaches altogether, a shared office setting can make life simpler and more cost effective.
These options allow lawyers to reap the full benefits of a physical office, which includes: private space to focus, a professional atmosphere for counseling clients, the ability to meet with colleagues and peers to collaborate and exchange ideas, and an important separation between work and personal life.
Whether lawyers opt to work in the office full- or part-time, the ability to access a dedicated office space can make a huge difference in terms of focus and productivity. So, it’s not simply a question of remote vs. in-person; rather, lawyers and law firms need to strike a balance that allows them to succeed.
Do you operate a law firm in Denver? Take a look at our unique law firm real estate solutions for both small and large law firms. We specialize in helping law firms thrive and grow by maximizing their approach to office space.
