Advice on Moving (or Relocating) Your Law Firm

October 2, 2026March 15, 2020 by Amata Law Offices

Moving from working out of your your house into a private office space? Expanding into a new location in a new state? We have tips and advice for all types of moves. It’s an exciting time, and if you’ve given your choices proper consideration, it doesn’t have to be stressful.

Your First Office: “I work remotely and want to move into private office space. How do I pick the best space?”

You’re taking a big step, both for your practice and for your bank account. Make sure you properly vet any space you are looking at to ensure it satisfies your growing firm’s growing needs and doesn’t become unaffordable overhead.

We recommend asking the following questions of your potential landlord or space provider:

What’s the shortest lease term I’m able to sign?
What happens if I need to scale up during my lease term? Or scale down?
What amenities are included in my base rent and what ones are add-ons that I need to pay each month (like water, heat, office equipment, etc.)?
What are the benefits to being at your space? And can you think of any negatives?

We especially want you to ask that last question – there are negatives to ANY arrangement, and having a landlord or space provider who is honest and upfront with you means you’re getting into business with someone you can trust.

Your New Office: “The attorney I sublease from isn’t renewing their lease. What do I do next?”

Many attorneys sublease space from other attorneys – who are effectively trying to be both landlords and law firm owners. It’s no surprise then, that so many find themselves suddenly kicked out of their space when the attorneys they sublease from decide to give up the dual roles and not renew their leases.

If this is your situation, you’re probably stressed out, and potentially a little angry. You want to make sure your next situation is stable, and you probably discovered a few options:

You can sublease again
You even take on the dual role yourself and lease a large floor
You can take an office with a shared office space provider

Before you make a choice ask yourself: “What do I really need to practice law successfully.”

If this move isn’t really that cumbersome, and isn’t interfering with your day-to-day business, then go with option one. Just keep in mind that you may need to move again sooner than you expect, and that your options may be more limited so price and location shopping will be difficult.

If you loved your traditional space and like the idea of having a small floor of other attorneys in a community you hand crafted, then go with option two. Make sure you speak with other attorneys who have done so first, though. Otherwise you may find yourself stressed and overworked (and not with legal work).

If this move is causing stress, and you want both stability and the ability to shop around for the best price and best location, then a shared office space is your best bet. Additionally, you’ll get the same benefits as option two – a community of attorneys – if you choose a boutique shared office space provider who specializes in supporting law firms. Check if your area provides one!

Your New Beginning: “I’m opening my firm in a new state. Any advice?”

Congratulations on your success! Aside from the legal business of becoming an attorney in a new state, you’ve got a new market you’re trying to enter. Many of our own attorney clients find success by first setting themselves up to work remotely. Most often they purchase a Virtual Law Office program which gives them a local address on one of our floors, a local phone number for their firm, as well as access to all of our locations and our conference rooms for meetings. This saves them the overhead of renting private office space until they are more established in their new city, while giving them all the amenities they need to run their practice in the new location.

The added benefit of opening a Virtual Law Office is that when they do make the move into physical, private space, they are able to maintain their address by simply upgrading from their Virtual Law Office into private office space. Need more information on how this works? Visit our Virtual Law Office page!

Additional Resources for moving your law firm:

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Established Attorneys Who Don’t Choose Traditional Space for Their Firms

October 2, 2026March 13, 2020 by Amata Law Offices

Shared legal office space isn’t just for new solo attorneys. We have law firms of all sizes here at Amata. Why? Because flexible space is good for every firm, at every stage.

Having an office space that gives your firm options for expansion as well as shrinkage means:

Less resources (both money and time) spent on moving
Consistency for you and your clientele
Staying cost-effective, no matter what happens

Many attorneys who sign up for traditional law office space find themselves losing profit to pay for space they aren’t using. For instance, if an attorney or employee leaves their firm, they suddenly have an unoccupied office they are paying for. Or if they are looking for offices downtown for three partners and a secretary, their only options may be large build-outs with six offices (two more than they need). Other law office solutions exist, however.

Here a few examples of established attorneys who choose alternative law firm office options, and how that choice helps their firms.

The Defectors

A new CEO, a merger; they change the corporate structure of firms. A couple of attorneys frequently get together in these times and decide to break away to start their own practices.

How shared legal office space providers help

Defecting attorneys need discretion, and they need to set up shop quickly. By going with a shared office space for attorneys or a legal coworking space, they can keep things discrete, because they won’t need to post ads to hire staff or run around the city looking for space or furniture. A shared office provider presents itself as a “pop-up” law firm option: the defecting attorneys can create their PC or LLC, rent the few offices they need (which come fully furnished), get a new phone number for their firm through the shared office space (who set everything up with the phone company), and they’ll have a receptionist who is answering their calls the moment their number is active.

All the attorneys have to do is give notice and show up in their new space! Should they decide to hire more staff and add more offices – or customize their office with their own furniture – they can do so later on without issue.

The Established Attorney in a New State

Making a leap and branching out into a new state can be scary; if going the traditional route, it becomes all the more frightening.

How shared legal office space providers help

Like a defector, the ease of setup gives this attorney less to worry about. A smart attorney branching into a new state will also want to keep over-head costs as low as possible while building up their client base. Starting their firm out with a Virtual Law Office – which includes access to a shared law office space floor’s common space to work from, conference rooms to meet clients at, a business address on the floor for receiving mail, a phone number with their new city’s area code, and access to the shared law office space staff – allows them to have a professional presence in the new city, without the high overhead cost of traditional office space.

Virtual legal office programs allow the attorney to telecommute until their firm is established enough in the new city to hire a permanent associate at that location, and upgrade to a dedicated private office space on the floor!

The Satellite Firm

For successful large firms, overhead may not be as large of a concern. Putting associates in an environment where they can meet other professionals and establish themselves in the community, however, may be.

How shared legal office space providers help

A shared office space for attorneys is a giant floor filled with a medley of attorneys from firms as small as one to as large as fifty! With all these attorneys in one space, making connections is as easy as making a cup of coffee. If associates are new to a city, having this built-in network can help them find a group of peers to integrate with, network within, and assist in building the firm’s referral network in the new city. A more holistic benefit is their well-being. Associates and partners who are able to work from a shared law office space will have a higher ability to find like-minded individuals who aren’t colleagues; new people to have lunch with or go to happy hours with after a long day.

Feeling part of a community is an undeniable wellness benefit, and hard to ignore in an industry plagued with stress and mental illness.

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How to Get Affordable Health Insurance for Your Small Law Firm

October 2, 2026February 3, 2020 by Amata Law Offices

If you’re a partner at a law firm, then being an attorney is not your only focus: running the firm takes up a large portion of your time and energy. It’s probably why you’re reading our blog. You are interested in shared law office space (like we provide at Amata Law Office Suites) because of its cost-savings and extensive, built-in, support staff for your firm.

At Amata, we want to ensure that we help support your business knowledge so you can run your firm well, and focus on practicing law. Today, we’re tackling one of the most fraught areas of running a law firm: selecting health insurance.

The truth behind small business health insurance…

After reading The Price We Pay by Marty Makary, M.D., our CEO & Founder, Ron Bockstahler, dove deep into the world of health insurance and uncovered some interesting information: small businesses have more comprehensive and affordable health insurance options than they are often led to believe. For instance, many small firm attorneys would be surprised to learn that as a one-person business, they have access to group-health insurance.

If you have individual health insurance, you may have learned the hard way that the individual market lacks stability: the plans are often shifting & changing, and prices are prone to jumping (many see this happen yearly!). The group market, on the other hand, is lower cost and provides more stable insurance options. The plans do not change often, either in design or in price. They also renew each year, and are less susceptible to drastic federal and state legislative changes.

How is it possible that a one-person business can have access to something labeled “group”?

Technically, it is referenced as a small group, and there are restrictions. Since many of us infer group as including a large number of individuals, we don’t look into whether group insurance is an option for us as small businesses and default to the individual insurance options. For many small business owners group insurance is not only a viable option, but the best option. The benefits of group health are so large that business owners shouldn’t assume they won’t have access without talking to an experienced insurance professional first.

What are the benefits of going with group insurance?

Aside from the lower costs and increased stability, providing good health insurance both for yourself and your employees can create a better work atmosphere. Health insurance is one of the most contentious topics in America right now, but everyone can agree that they want good insurance. Being the firm who can provide great benefits will help bolster your employee satisfaction, and can boost not only staff retention but overall happiness – both of which will bolster your firm’s effectiveness.

Does your firm qualify for group insurance?

Answering this question is worth the time investment. You can either contact your existing insurance people, or if you’re an Amata Law Office Suite client, you can attend our special education event “Insurance Education: What they don’t tell you” hosted by Alexandra Eidenberg of The Insurance People and Richie Marrero of 360 Benefits. This event takes place at 77 W Wacker on Thursday, February 20^th, and is open to all Amata Law Office Suites clientele. You can RSVP with us at [email protected]. If you missed the event and want more information, send us an email!

In only an hour Alexandra and Richie will give a crash course on the insurance options you don’t know about, and you can pick their brains to see if any of these options are good for your firm. If you want your questions answered, please RSVP. For anyone looking to network, cocktails and appetizers will also be available post-event.

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New Year’s Resolutions: Ideas for Attorneys in 2020

October 2, 2026January 3, 2020 by Amata Law Offices

As an attorney, work is probably on your mind a lot, even when you’re not sitting down at a desk. So it makes since that your resolution for the new year benefits both you and your law practice.

Re-Energize Your Biggest Asset: Your Brain

Put down your phone and unlock the power of boredom

When you’re scrolling through Facebook, shopping on Amazon, even listening to The Journal podcast, you classify the time as unwinding. Dr. Alex Soojung-Kim Pang, WNYC’s first guest in their 6-day Bored and Brilliant challenge, reveals a different reality to the smartphone-centric lives we all now lead:

“[After getting a smartphone] I began to feel like I was losing my ability to really concentrate seriously on the things I needed to do.”

Dr. Soojung-Kim Pang is a smart guy; he earned a PhD in the history of science and technology and he has been a visiting scholar at Stanford for over 15 years. This shift in his attention alarmed him, and drove him to write his book, The Distraction Addiction. As an attorney you probably agree with his sentiment that losing yourself in complex problems is “one the most satisfying things” you’ve ever experienced. He urges you to put down your phone, so you can reclaim this ability and spend more time immersed in your thoughts.

Interested in doing the full boredom challenge? Follow Bored and Brilliant’s 6 day boot camp to re-discover the benefits of boredom. The concentration and creativity you gain could lead to enhanced problem solving on your next difficult case. At the very least, you will actually be giving your brain time to relax, instead of keeping it constantly stimulated, even during your down time.

Ignore the billing clock for an hour. Instead, invest that time in being mindful.

Americans are stressed out. As an attorney, that stress can be even higher. “Mental wellness” and “mindfulness” have become key terms in legal conferences, and a quick search for stress-management CLEs turns up hundreds of results. The pressure attorneys feel — from their demanding jobs, the never ending ticking away of the clock, and the emotional burden of many types of practices — is what drove Harvard-educated lawyer and mindfulness expert, Jon Krop, to create his company. Mindfulness for Lawyers, is exactly what it sounds like: a program designed by a lawyer, for lawyers, to achieve mindfulness.

We’re used to the term now, but mindfulness’s new reputation as the end-all, be-all for stress management, energy revitalization, and mental clarity, was once regarded as ‘new age’ nonsense; so don’t be surprised if you hear some guffawing around older legal professionals. Still, we’re excited about the focus on stress management and meditation so often touted by Generation Y attorneys these days.

Guided Meditation Apps: Headspace (pay-to-play) | Smiling Mind (free)

Don’t forget to breathe.

Renovate Your Day-to-Day

Take advantage of living in the ‘future’

AI doesn’t mean the same thing in 2020 as it does in The Terminator (or if you need a more emotional example, the tear-worthy movie from the 90’s, A.I. Artificial Intelligence). Despite this difference in definition, AI is software, complex software that can help you and help your firm. We could write a paragraph about the benefits of automating (especially if you work in practices like Estate Planning, which are flooded in repetitive tasks and steps), but instead of reading about LegalTech in general, spend your time exploring specific pieces of LegalTech!

Make it your goal to commit to a single piece of software in 2020. Sure there is an initial time investment in finding and implementing it, but you’ll see a great return in the next quarter as it helps automate your day-to-day tasks.

Clio | For document management, client management, accounting management, and much much more

Lawmatics | It’s not just for the sales cycle. Put your clients in a systematic workflow and stop using brainpower to remember what step you need to do next.

Documate | Say goodbye to complex Word Document shorthand, and hello to legal document automation

Boosted | A time-tracker app on your phone! Organize by client name and break the work down by task for easier billing

Get some help!

We’ve met a lot of attorneys who are bogged down by work. You probably have too. Maybe you are one. The point is, when you’re busy, it’s hard to spend time thinking about how to make your life easier. You have to concentrate, focus on the immediate task ahead just to stay afloat. Even if you want to hire someone to assist you, the time input for posting a job opening, interviewing people, training someone, starts to sound like a major commitment in an already tight schedule — and that doesn’t include delving into your financials so you know how much help you can even afford.

If you need support, but don’t have time to hire a new person, then we’ve got some quick ideas below. Or you can read our full blog How to Get Affordable Support for Your Law Firm.

Alternatives to hiring a new, full-time employee:

If your team is only working 6-8 hours a day, then offer overtime to check more items off the to-do list
Invest in an existing employee and pay for higher-level training for higher-level support
Hire on-demand legal support! It’s cost-effective and benefits your firm in intangible ways

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How to Get Affordable Support for Your Law Firm

October 2, 2026January 3, 2020 by Amata Law Offices

Hiring more legal support staff is a catch-22 situation for most attorneys. On the one hand, they are overworked, struggling to keep up with never ending tasks and casework. On the other hand, they have a tight budget.

A new employee is not only a time investment – during the hiring process and training – but a risk. Will they be worth the lost money to the firm? Will there be enough work to keep them occupied eight hours a day? Will revenue ever go back up after investing in this new hire, or will the benefit only be in decreased stress?

Then there’s the ultimate question. Which is more stressful: Having more help but less money to run the firm, or having more money but less help?

If you’re reading this you need support for your law firm. We’ve worked with attorneys for a long time, and over the past twenty years they have shown us that there are more options then simply hiring someone new.

Before Hiring a (New) Permanent Employee for Your Law Firm

Offer overtime to an existing employee or employees

If you have an employee who puts in 6-8 hours a day, ask them to work overtime occasionally to clear more tasks off the to-do list. Be careful you don’t push your employees too hard, though, or this method won’t actually benefit your firm. As this study from John Pencavel, of the Department of Economics, Stanford University, shows more hours logged doesn’t mean more hours worked, especially if the employees are already working long-strings of time without significant breaks.

Offer higher-level training to an existing employee

Your law clerk is a hard worker, but you need the expertise of a paralegal more and more. Your legal secretary is wonderful, but office and client management isn’t as important as the casework piling up on your desk. Before you hire that second employee, you could offer your current one more training.

Putting your law clerk through paralegal training can present a significantly lower cost to your firm versus hiring an additional employee. Plus, you’ll receive the added time benefit of avoiding hiring and training processes. Your current employee already knows you, your business, your priorities, and your clients. Invest in them first, and the benefits can be astounding.

Hire on-demand support with virtual paralegal services, virtual CFOs or more

Whether it’s for paralegal support, billing & collections assistance, or even a part-time, case-by-case attorney, hiring exactly who you need for only the time you need them is the most straight-forward way to find affordable legal support. This solution is not always easy, though. On-demand support is cost-effective and provides great benefits to your firm, but this support comes via a contracted employee and therefore they may not always be available. Which means the person you work with could change more often than you’d like.

If you hire on-demand support, find someone with great references, and make sure you inquire about their objectives. Are they doing this because they are trying to pay bills during law school? Because they can’t find full-time work? Or because they like the case-diversity the role provides? This can help you find someone who will provide longevity. A new law school student could be a great hire in a few years, but the contractor who is simply having a hard time in the job market could provide instability once they do land their dream job.

When to Hire a New Employee

At first you think it’s just a “tight period.” A couple months of low resources and high demand. You keep your head down and work hard, knowing that with enough overtime the path will clear, the demands will slow down.

But the tight period does not seem to wane. Because it’s not a tight period. Your practice is doing well and your demand has superseded the quantity of people at your firm (whether it’s a count of one – yourself – or twenty). Now is the time to hire. Your new employee will help not only relieve stress, but take on a size-able portion of the work. They will be worth the money. And because your firm is growing, you will see the return on investment from spending time training this new hire. Take the leap and get the legal support you need and deserve.

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Dick’s Last Resort & 18th District Police Partner to Deliver Santa’s Gifts!

October 2, 2026December 20, 2019 by Amata Law Offices

For the 29th year Santa has had help delivering gifts to local Chicago area children, thanks to the efforts of Dick’s Last Resort and the 18th District Community Policing Office.

Santa and his elves hosted a gift giving extravaganza at the local restaurant on December 11th; Dick’s closed their doors for the event and accommodated approximately 50 children who were bused in from area schools and churches. Festive face painters made the children laugh with delight as their faces were decorated with Christmas designs. Carolers from VanderCook College of music serenaded the crowd. Also attending were members of the 18th District police force and local politicians.

Toys, school supplies & books galore!

A Community that Cares…

Each child received multiple gifts from Santa, and while they received amazing toys, their gift piles also included more practical items, like school supplies and books. In the 29 years of this event, Dick’s Last Resort has spent more than $100,000 on gifts for Chicago area children.

“These are children who probably would not be getting much for Christmas,” said David Swann, regional manager of Dick’s Last Resort, “and in these challenging economic times, we wanted to provide an extraordinary afternoon.”

Ron Bockstahler, CEO of Amata Law Office Suites, added, “It’s a blessing and a privilege to assist the police and Dick’s Last Resort in providing gifts to these children. Dick’s has been helping the community for many years and with all the turmoil in our world, it’s heartwarming to know Chicago has corporate citizens that care about our children.”

And an Event Children Look Forward Too

The adults aren’t the only ones who appreciate being able to participate in this yearly tradition. This holiday event is an staple in the community and children are excited when they learn they are attending. Professor Robert Sinclair, Ph.D. Director of Choral Activities at VanderCook College of music said, “Having our students participate in this event is very meaningful for them. They so enjoy getting the children up, singing, dancing and laughing. We look forward to participating every year.”

The children were chosen by community volunteers and school officials in conjunction with the 18th District Community Policing Office, which is led by Sgt. Chris Schenk.

Taking Time to Educate

Local politicians and the police department use this event to educate children as well. Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White, who has attended the party for the last 17 years, spoke to the children this year about the importance of staying in school and not getting involved with gangs.

Also in attendance were 42^nd Ward Alderman Brendan Reilly and 18^th District Police Commander Daniel O’Shea. Officer Ramona Stovall assisted with the party. The event is organized every year by Chicago civic leader Kathy Posner, a member of the 18^th District Community Policing District Advisory Council (DAC.)

Each year Amata Law Office suites staff head down to Dick’s Law resort to help wrap gifts. Thank you to our Amata admin Kara Fuss and receptionists Mirel Robles and Erica Morgan for your time and generous spirit this holiday season.

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Tax Considerations & Benefits for Law Firms

October 2, 2026November 22, 2019 by Amata Law Offices

Whether you’re a partner or an associate in a law firm, the Internal Revenue Service has rules that apply specifically to you as well as several opportunities. Following is a list of tax provisions that affect attorneys in particular.

Tax Benefits for Partners in a Law Firm

Home office deduction

The home office deduction may be available to practitioners who run their business out of their home. This deduction is not as straightforward as it may sound: the space must be dedicated to running the practice. In addition, the deduction is based on the square footage of the dedicated space, not the total square footage. Once the square footage is calculated, a proportional share of expenses, including mortgage interest, real estate taxes and utilities, may be deducted. The deduction does come with a cap.

Unreimbursed expenses

Law firm partners may be able to use Schedule E to deduct business expenses that were not reimbursed by the firm. This is a valuable deduction because it reduces both taxable income and the self-employment tax.

Capital account loans

Interest paid on capital account loans also are deducible on Schedule E.

State taxes

State taxes are tricky. The total allowable deduction for all state and local taxes is limited. As long as the amount isn’t exceeded, you may be able to deduct any state taxes the firm pays on your behalf on Schedule A of your personal return. Ensure that you are filing in all relevant tax jurisdictions and document your filings and consider filing composite state returns.

Self-employed health insurance

If your firm shows a profit for the year, medical, dental and long-term care insurance costs may be an above-the-line deduction. This deduction is worth more than an itemized deduction.

Retirement savings

Take advantage of tax saving offered by your firm’s retirement plan. Deferring income can result in substantial tax savings.

Tax Considerations for Associates

Associates are salaried employees at their firms who have federal and state income tax taken out of their paychecks and whose income is reported on Form W-2. Consequently, they have fewer options for deductions. They cannot take itemized deductions unless they exceed the standard deduction amounts.

While more restricted in their options, associates may benefit from the following:

Unreimbursed business expenses

These expenses can no longer be deducted as a line item, but associates can ask their firms to implement an accountable reimbursement plan. Such a plan would allow associates to be reimbursed without having to report the reimbursements as income, and the partners would be able to deduct the amounts on their Schedule E.

Income deferral

Deferring income by maximizing use of the firm’s retirement plan may reduce taxable income.

Student loans

If your firm has a student loan payment program, the amount they pay may not be taxable if certain parameters are met.

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How to Open a Virtual Law Firm

October 2, 2026October 4, 2019 by Amata Law Offices

Virtual offices are sweeping the nation, and if you’re thinking of transitioning from brick-and-mortar into a virtual law firm your options are expanding.

Whether your leaving your current firm and going solo, or you are looking to decrease the cost of office rent, a new sector of virtual law firm providers is popping up to help: boutique office spaces that cater to attorneys, and attorneys alone.

Finding a good provider is the most important part of going virtual. Below we break down the 3 steps you should take before committing to any virtual office.

STEP 1: Take a tour!

Make sure you tour the office space before you sign up for services! You may be having meetings downtown and you want a space that is beautiful, has plenty of meeting room options, and friendly staff on hand.

Here’s an easy checklist for you while you tour:

☐ No logos (you want it to feel like your space)

☐ A few meeting room sizes

☐ Professional & welcoming entryway

☐ Comfortable common space

☐ Kitchenette/Cafe for you and for guests

☐ Bonus points for natural light in common areas & gorgeous views

Luckily plenty of companies have virtual tours of their space online, so you can complete this step asap.

STEP 2: Ask yourself “Will I be virtual permanently?”

Are you scaling down as a last step towards retirement? Or are you going virtual to launch your solo practice? If you may need office space in the future make sure the provider’s offices and contracts fit your requirements.

Ask for a pricing break down on physical space and let them know you may go permanent in a year – if they are straight forward they will provide all the information you want without deflecting. And if they deflect their contracts are most likely convoluted, and you should move on in your search.

STEP 3: Interrogate your potential office space providers

The business of law demands flexibility and extensive support options. Make a list of all the needs for your law firm, and when you tour locations ask if the office provider can help support these needs.

A good provider will have paralegal support, admin support, front-desk personnel and reception services. But they may also have partners that can help with your billing/collections and court reporting. It can’t hurt to ask, and you may be surprised by the services provided.

Benefits of opening your virtual law firm with a boutique, attorney-centric office space provider

You already know the benefits of going virtual, that’s why you’re reading this article. Scaling down overhead costs. Achieving a great work/life balance. But you can receive even more benefits as a virtual law firm if you select the right office space provider.

Legal office staff downtown (even though you aren’t): everything from law clerks to paralegals to court filings without having to hire any personnel personally
Attorney peers you can connect with online: networking is a vital part of any firm’s new business generation, and many providers have online community sites to help this
Events for legal education & networking: all providers host events, and ‘bring your dog to work day’ or ‘group yoga’ sound fun but you don’t want to rearrange your schedule for these activities. A complimentary CLE webinar, on the other hand, is appealing, and helpful for you and your practice.

Want to read thoughts from attorneys running virtual law firms (and loving it!) before you start these steps? The American Bar Association interviewed 5 law firm leaders for their insight on being virtual attorneys.

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The High Cost of Employee Turnover at Your Law Firm

October 2, 2026September 14, 2019 by Amata Law Offices

Hiring is not an easy task, and sometimes it takes time away from your legal work. Too many businesses focus on the wrong aspects of employment. Keeping your current employees happy is just as important as hiring the right people for your law firm. Employee turnover and retention should be at the top of your considerations. By creating good retention practices, you can have a competitive edge in your field.

In studies on employment, one in three employees expects to change jobs within six months. So how can you keep your valuable legal support staff from leaving?

Determine the reasons for employee turnover.

The most important metric to track is why your employees are leaving. There are plenty of reasons having nothing to do with the company itself, such as life changes or relocation. But what about the reasons that are closely related to your firm and management style?

Are your employees leaving because they are dissatisfied with management, their co-workers, or their duties? If so, only you have the power to make these things better.

As each employee leaves, your focus turns to replacement rather than retention. These costs reach beyond salary and benefits. Your time is also valuable, and the more time you spend searching for the right candidate, the less you can give to your law clients.

It’s easy to think the solution comes down to bigger pay rates, but there are plenty of other factors that affect an employee’s decision. According to the Society for Human Resources Management, 42 percent of people responding to an employment survey indicated they would leave a job due to a toxic workplace, and 31 percent say it would come down to work/life balance. Considering a range of incentives to keep your top legal employees happy will only enhance their experience.

Think about the office environment.

It may not occur to you, but your law office also impacts an employee’s satisfaction on the job. Are they comfortable? Do they have all the tools they need, including technology and software, to make their job more efficient? If they’re feeling frustrated just by accomplishing their normal tasks on a daily basis, it can lead to unhappy, disgruntled employees. Keeping your firm conducive to productivity will cost less over time than replacing your legal staff with others who also will quickly become unhappy in the environment. Learning where to make investments to keep employees happy is the first step.

Realize why productivity levels will drop.

When an employee leaves, it doesn’t affect just their individual job. You will lose the productivity in that role, and it will affect the rest of your team. Someone will need to take up the slack and accomplish the work of two people while you search for a replacement. This will cause that employee’s productivity levels to dip for both duties. It can even start the cycle of unhappiness over again. Unhappy employees also affect their co-workers. The entire team will influence each other, and one disengaged employee can begin an avalanche.

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How to “Right-Size” Your Law Firm

October 2, 2026August 12, 2019 by Amata Law Offices

Some firms euphemistically call downsizing right-sizing because it enables them to alter their workforce according to the amount of business they’re currently generating. The staff-to-work ratio is deemed “right” and the workforce is the “right size” for the firm, hence the more upbeat lingo.

An even more optimistic interpretation of right-sizing is called “flexible” right-sizing.

Flexible right-sizing means providing alternative work arrangements to associates or support staff rather than laying them off or downsizing during slow periods. This method helps firms scale down or up, depending on the demand for services, without losing valuable employees.

If you’re looking to right-size, but not let anyone go, consider offering support staff the following:

Sabbaticals or furloughs are unpaid time off. They may be offered to staff who would be difficult to replace or they may be suitable for seasonal employees when the firm anticipates that the slowdown in work may be temporary.
Telework allows associates to work from home. Some firms find that by allowing more of their staff to make work-from-home arrangements, they can shift to smaller offices and save on leases and related expenses without sacrificing productivity. In fact, some firms find that productivity goes up. And with specialized Virtual Office phone programs, your workers can still maintain their business lines with their mobile!
Reducing the number of days worked per week may shift some full-time associates and support staff to part-time hours, or it may further decrease part-time hours.
Job sharing arrangements involve two employees who share one available position. Job sharing may coincide with flextime, in which your staff can work flexible hours according to their availability and job needs. This is ideal for people such as paralegals who may work with other lawyers and firms, and are not always available.

Flexible right-sizing isn’t always an option though. If you’re downsizing as you move to your own solo practice, then consider virtual assistants, who can work on-demand and allow you to maintain the right amount of support staff for incoming casework.

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