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Non-Disparagement Clauses and Their Restrictions in the Digital Age

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Non-Disparagement Clauses and Their Restrictions in the Digital Age

As the digital age continues to grow, more and more people are turning to places like Facebook and Yelp to gather information about a company. Using digital platforms allows them to read reviews as well as leave reviews of their own and determine whether or not to invest their time and money into a business. Given the rise in digital communication, attorneys are finding themselves confronted with an ever-increasing amount of claimed non-disparagement violations.

Enter The Non-Disparagement Clause

A non-disparagement clause is a legal representation of a private agreement that restricts free speech. Employers often implement a mutual non-disparagement clause that promises both parties, company and employee, agree to not disparage the other.

However, as with any provision, the non-disparagement clause can come with inferences, assumptions, and questions regarding what, exactly, constitutes disparagement.

What Constitutes Disparagement?

At its core, the term disparage means to belittle or reduce in rank or esteem.

Generally speaking, if a non-disparagement clause is included in an employment or severance agreement, courts view and enforce it as a matter of contract interpretation principles.

In regards to the courts in Illinois, they examine the contract to determine the intention of all parties at the time they entered into it. Once the court has determined the intention, they may rely on a dictionary to provide a definition of any undefined terms, giving them their intended meanings.

Challenges Non-Disparagement Clauses Face

Certain positions within a company offer higher risks of disparagement than others. Employees with access to confidential information within the company, separated employees, and those that have been terminated all pose a greater risk.

While a non-disparagement clause can lessen this risk, it isn’t without its challenges.

These contractual clauses restrict free speech, and with that can come legal attacks from governmental agencies charged with regulating the workforce.

For instance, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has filed lawsuits challenging certain non-disparagement provisions included in severance agreements that precluded employees, both former and current, from cooperating with them in their investigations into illegal discrimination.

Consumer Review Fairness Act Levels The Field

In 2016, Congress passed this act in order to void provisions in non-negotiable “Terms of Use” contracts that limit someone’s right to publish genuine, negative reviews online.

Even the United States Supreme Court became involved when they overturned a non-disparagement provision due to it being an unconstitutional restriction on free speech.

Overcome Restrictions On Free Speech & Protect Your Company

Restrictions of free speech caused by non-disparagement clauses are not being taken lightly.

In order to best protect your company as well as your legal clients, these contractual provisions should be drawn up in a way that only includes what is reasonably necessary.

Ensure the language used in the non-disparagement clause limits the restriction on free speech. You will also need to include a reasonable timeframe the provision holds rather than an unending, over-generalized contract.

To find out more about non-disparagement clauses in the digital age, download the original article found in the Newsletter of Illinois State Bar Association.

Article shared by: Law Office of Cathy Ann Pilkington

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Balsamic Vinegar & Olive Oil Tasting

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Balsamic Vinegar & Olive Oil Tasting

How refined is your palate? Can you taste the difference between an olive oil produced by the Greek Koroneiki Tree and that of the aromatic, dark brown fruit of the Arbequina cultivar? Our Balsamic Vinegar & Olive Oil Tasting gives you the chance to find out.

You’ll discover the complexity of an 18‐year balsamic and the nuances between single‐varietal olive oils with Olive & Well, a gourmet olive oil and balsamic vinegar store in Oak Park, IL. Accompany owner of Olive & Well, Kay Kuhlman, at her tasting table and learn about the life of balsamic vinegars and olive oils, or simply enjoy the flavors and mingle with the other guests throughout the evening.

Amata’s very own Ron Bockstahler will be making the homemade artisan breads that will accompany the tasting!

Olive & Well oils come fresh from small‐batch groves and producers throughout the world. They hand‐select their olives and follow them from pick to press, with just hours passing between the two for their premium varietals. Their emphasis is not only on taste, but on health. Their oils are high in antioxidant polyphenols, and their balsamics are all natural, with no added sugars or colors.

Join your fellow tenants for a guided tasting of 10 balsamic vinegars and oils. Our tasting table will be available for you and your coworkers to mix and match. We will be voting on our favorites throughout the night, and breads will be served with an 18-year aged balsamic and an assortment of infused and Single Varietal Extra Virgin Olive Oils. Accompanying snacks such as olives, cured meats, and cheeses will also be offered.

When: Tuesday, February 27th, 2018 from 5:30 – 7:30 PM
Where: 150 N Michigan Ave, Suite 800, Chicago, IL 60601

RSVP to the event either on the Amata Community ‘Events’ page or via email, at [email protected].

 

DELGADO ROMPF BRUEN LLC

Ownership and management of Olive & Well is Kay’s second “career.” She served for almost 30 years as a U.S. Foreign Service Officer with the U.S. Department of Commerce, at U.S. Embassies in Germany, Belgium, Romania, Switzerland and Canada, assisting U.S. companies in promoting and exporting their products and services to foreign markets.

Retiring in 2007 with her husband, also a career diplomat, they settled in Oak Park. Walking to the library one day, she passed by Olive & Well and read the sign on the door: “Looking for part‐ time help. Must be a foodie, must love to cook, and must have retail experience.” Check, check, and check.

For five years, this part‐time work was her “fun retirement job.” When, in 2014, the original owner tired of Chicago winters and moved to Florida, Kay bought the store, introducing new products and marketing strategies. She has made Olive & Well not just a retail operation but also an experience in healthy eating. Her motto for the store is: “Where healthy tastes great.”

Check out all the photos from this fun-filled and informative event!

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DRB – Global Approach. Tailored Solutions.

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drb-team

Delgado Rompf Bruen LLC is a Chicago-based law firm representing clients in all types of immigration matters including family applications, employment immigration and compliance, removal proceedings, naturalization, and appeals.

Co-founders Marta Delgado and Elizabeth Rompf Bruen have nearly 35 years of combined legal experience and have focused their careers in the immigration and nationality law areas. They routinely represent clients before the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the Executive Office for Immigration Review, the U.S. Department of State, the U.S. Department of Labor, the U.S. Department of Justice and numerous U.S. consular posts worldwide.

The attorneys at Delgado Rompf Bruen LLC analyze individuals’ immigration histories, explain the options that exist to obtain the solutions they are seeking, and develop comprehensive strategies to present the strongest case possible.

Delgado Rompf Bruen LLC builds immigration solutions with consistent client communication, extensive experience, intelligent case strategies, dedicated advocacy, and compassionate service to its clients and community.

DELGADO ROMPF BRUEN LLC

DELGADO ROMPF BRUEN LLC

180 North LaSalle Street, Suite 3700

Chicago, Illinois, 60601

www.drbimmigration.com

TEL: 312.216.5116

FAX: 312.981.0051

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You’re a Lawyer, Not an Office Manager

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How many dedicated hours did you spend to become the attorney you are today? My guess is, more than you would like to remember. During those countless hours, were you also studying to become a property manager? No? Why is it then that attorneys continue to find themselves wasting time focusing on filling open law office space in Chicago for the building they’re leasing when they could be working on actual billable hours? For those in pursuit of a law office that allows you the time and financial means needed to focus on what’s important – the work of your firm – there’s a better way.

Consider the pitfalls of purchasing or leasing your own building (apart from the obvious astronomical costs involved):

1. Property Management

More than likely, the space where you house your law office also includes extra space not being used, and that space is eating a hole in your pocket every month. In order to stop losing money with empty space, you’re forced to become a property manager, taking valuable time away from your client work, and adding more to your resume than you have time for.

  • Advertise: More money and time is burned while you advertise your open space for lease.
  • Interview: Finding the right attorney to adjoin with your space can be difficult, especially when they should be someone you can look to for collaboration or sharing referrals.
  • Onboarding: There’s still time, and thus money, spent in onboarding the proper attorney in Chicago.

2. Reception

My guess is, you also didn’t go to school to spend numerous extra hours each week answering phones and taking messages instead of handling your client work and focusing your time on billable hours. If you’re a Chicago attorney in your own law office building, this is another detail you will have to handle.

  • Greet Clients: Someone has to do it, and if you aren’t putting even more of your income towards staff, that someone is you.
  • Field Calls: When you aren’t spending your time answering the phones, you’re spending it checking the messages.
  • Hiring Reception: If you do hire someone, unless you’re paying a sizeable wage, you’re likely to wind up with constant turn-over, causing you to lose even more billable hours in training new staff.

3. Revolving Door

You’ve occupied your empty space and are now, hopefully, at least breaking even on the yearly expenses for your law office space. However, there’s another major downside to leasing out space; no guarantee of your tenants staying. Once they leave, you must begin the process all over again.

The solution: Choose a Coworking Space for Attorneys instead. Aside from the considerable savings, coworking spaces offer:

    1. Pay for What You Need: Having a coworking space for attorneys in Chicago doesn’t have to mean losing your private office. In fact, you still get to enjoy a private office, but you stop wasting money that goes to the extra space you don’t use.
    2. Reception is Included: With Amata Law Office Suites, quality reception is a no-brainer. That’s why we include that service for our clients at no extra charge. Aside from not having to answer incoming calls and take your own messages, you can trust that the reception staff members are staples in our office spaces. We train and pay them well to ensure they stick around, and you and your clients don’t have to worry about turn-over.
    3. Network of Attorneys: It can be hard to find the right fit when looking for one or two other attorneys to fill your law office space in Chicago. Utilizing a coworking space for attorneys through Amata Law Office Suites allows you a large network of attorneys with which to collaborate, and we host regular networking events exclusively for attorneys to offer your firm the best chance of success in this business.

Make the move and start truly investing in your practice. Amata Law Office Suites provides you the ability to never have to worry about property management again, so you can focus on just being an attorney.

While you’re at it, check out why attorneys in Chicago are choosing coworking spaces over traditional private office buildings.

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Why Attorneys Choose to Stay in Coworking Spaces

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coworking space for attorneys

Professional office space in Chicago that offers the unique environment attorneys need to run a successful firm can be hard to come by – especially at an affordable rate. What they often don’t teach in law school is how to run a business. This may be why many law firms take on more space than they need with the anticipation of growing into the space. Paying for this extra space is the same as burning your money. Before incurring expenses an attorney should build a proforma to estimate income to expenses and the key metric to use should be cost per billable hour. If an attorney anticipates they will bill 1500 hours next year and they are collecting $250/hour, they may want to keep their total costs at $50/hour or $6,250/month. These costs should include their office space, reception service, software programs, computers (amortized over their useful life), support staff, marketing expenses, and continuing education costs. This same metric should be used when adding attorneys to your staff to set expectations and manage expenses. Coworking or shared offices lends itself to controlling expenses based on estimated billable hours.

Receptionist Services at No Extra Cost

When it comes to coworking space for attorneys that truly provides a quality service for less cost, the first place you look is the reception. We have found that including front desk reception for our clients at no additional charge is a no-brainer. A successful attorney, billing 1500 hours a year, does not have time to waste answering phones and making sure clients are greeted properly. But these things are very important to building a loyal clientele. Staffing the receptionist position is a key part of the value offered at a shared office environment. It should not be a revolving door for temps and part-time employees who care little for their work.

Community

The opportunity to work among your peers, sharing referrals, consulting on changes in the law and building comradery among attorneys may be the most important aspect of working in a shared office environment for attorneys. Whether your case load has you in court all day or you are building your book of business, the best place to find fulfillment in your work is among other attorneys. Relationships blossom around the water cooler and popping into a neighbor’s office down the hall. When you require additional resources your shared office provider should offer an online community of attorneys with something in common as a resource for you to take advantage of.

Top-Notch Staff

Time and time again, our attorney clients are singing the praises of Amata Law Office Suites’ expert staff. Our professional reception, our on-hand paralegals, legal assistants, and our office managers go above and beyond to set the tone for our office services at Amata Law Office Suites. We take great pride in carefully selecting our team members, creating an enjoyable working environment, and compensating them well to reduce turnover and disruption for our members. Our efforts to create a superb team at each of our law office suites shows by the high remarks we consistently receive from our clients and visiting patrons at our locations.

Atmosphere Unlike Any Other

Amata Law Office Suites set out to create coworking space in Chicago that rivals that of a large law firm, offering all the perks of having the collaborative legal environment at a fraction of the cost. Our office suites are designed for the quiet, focused atmosphere that is required for any practicing attorney while also including shared spaces perfect for networking and taking advantage of co-counsel opportunities or the chance to pick another lawyer’s brain rather than spending countless hours researching to find what you need.

In today’s competitive environment it is important to not only get business in the door, but to get the right business. Having the luxury to choose the deals you accept and passing on those that either don’t fit into what you want to do or don’t pay enough is an important aspect to enjoying the practice of law. At Amata Law Office Suites, we understand this and have created a culture and community to help attorneys reach their goals.

Amata Law Office Suites is more than office space, it’s a community of attorneys with a thriving culture and the services required make the practice of law profitable and enjoyable.

With multiple locations, you can easily find the professional office space in Chicago that you need.

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Meet the Candidates for Judge

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Amata Attorney River Cruise

Amata is honored to have two of our attorney members running for Judge in the upcoming elections. To show our support and appreciation for their commitment to serving our country, we are hosting a Meet the Candidates night where you’ll be able to learn more about each candidate. Please make plans to join us!

Meet the Candidates

Erika Orr, Candidate for Cook County 1st Sub-Circuit Court Judge

Erika Orr is the solo practitioner of Orr Law Group and specializes in domestic relations law. She has extensive experience in matters regarding the allocation of parental responsibilities as well as contracts related to surrogacy, real estate sales transactions, and more.

To learn more about Erika and support her campaign, head here.

Jamie Shapiro, Candidate for Cook County 8th Sub-Circuit Court Judge

James “Jamie” Shapiro has served as a judge for both criminal and civil cases. With over 32 years of experience in the legal field, his knowledge ranges from his time as judge to teaching law school and even serving as an Assistant United States Attorney.

To learn more about Jamie and support his campaign, head here.

Join Us

When: Thursday, November 9th, 2017, 5-7pm
Where: 161 N Clark St, 16th floor

Beverages and light appetizers will be served. No RSVP required.

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Lights, Camera, CASA! Gala

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Lights, Camera, CASA! Gala

On September 21st, 2017, CASA of Cook County will be hosting Lights, Camera, CASA! Gala, featuring a live and silent auction, food and live music.

Proceeds from Lights, Camera, CASA! gala will allow CASA of Cook County to accept new cases, recruit and train new advocate volunteers, and continue and develop new training programs for staff and volunteers.

To purchase tickets and/or to donate, please visit: https://e.gesture.com/events/62m/.

For more than 30 years, CASA of Cook County has provided a voice for thousands of children in the Cook County child protection court system who have experienced abuse and neglect. With its group of trained, dedicated volunteers, CASA of Cook County researches cases and provides valuable information which child protection @court judges rely on to make the best decisions about children’s futures. CASA dedicates one volunteer to advocate for one child or family of children, ensuring that the child’s voice is present in court even if the child is not.

The need for volunteer advocates is great: in Cook County there are 5,800 children in the foster care system but CASA of Cook County only has the resources to serve 5% of these children. It is CASA of Cook County’s goal to continuously increase the number of children in care it serves by helping to provide them with a safe and permanent home.

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Leaders Making Business Happen

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Amata Attorney River Cruise

Leading attorneys came together last Thursday evening to build their relationships, enjoy a sense of camaraderie, and share referrals and resources. Check out this video and you will see, this is what being part of the Amata network is all about. With only 60 tickets available, the Amata attorney social on the Wendella river cruise was a sold-out event. The exclusive list of attendees ranged from 30 year veterans from large law firms to first year attorneys participating in the Chicago-Kent incubator program that partnered with Amata Law Offices to provide office space and services to the attorneys in the program. Meeting new people, building relationships and sharing referrals and resources is what selecting Amata Law Offices to house your firm is all about. This event was created from a collaboration between Amata and Advitam IP, an intellectual property law firm.

Just about a year ago Richard Gurak, a founding partner of Advitam IP, LLC, decided it would be beneficial if the attorneys at Amata’s 150 S Wacker office got together over a drink once a month to get to know each other. He circulated an invite for drinks and several attorneys took the opportunity to take a break, grab a drink and meet their neighbors. That first social became a monthly event and eventually opened up to legal professionals at other Amata offices where the events have also been hosted. Richard adds that “Amata saw the value in our legal professional’s social group and strongly supported us so we could take it to the next level.”

Richard has spent his career building relationships throughout the world, growing his practice to work with clients in North America, Latin America, Europe, Africa and Pan-Asia. So it should come as no surprise that Richard began building his network soon after selecting Amata Law Offices to house Advitam IP, LLC’s North American offices. For 20 years practicing Intellectual Property law Richard has demonstrated how effective networking and building relationships can be to creating a successful law practice.

Future plans are coming together to continue the attorney socials. On October 26th plans are underway to host an event at The Metropolitan Club on the 67th floor of the Willis Tower. You won’t want to miss this event as Amata shares member benefits of the newly formed partnership with the club and details of the half billion-dollar renovation taking place at Willis Tower will be presented.

The next step: Getting to join the group on the river cruise was just the first step. The next step is to follow up with those you met on the river cruise or would have liked to meet but ran out of time. The attendee list has been distributed so take a few minutes and send a follow up or introduction e-mail introducing yourself. Set up a time for a call or cup of coffee and learn more about each other. Find out how each of you can help the other build your law practices. For all the attorneys I have had the privilege to work with, it is always those that get out and network that enjoy the most success.

Interesting Fact: Did you know that as an Amata member you have access to use services and space at all Amata locations at no additional cost. Today we spotlight the facilities at 150 N Michigan Ave., the white diamond shaped building in the Chicago skyline. Amata Law Offices operates two full floors in this building with views of lake Michigan and Millennium Park that will dazzle your clients. The 8th floor has recently reopened after a million dollar renovation has transformed the common area into a warm and welcoming meeting facility, added huddle rooms, a “live edge” table constructed entirely of one full tree slab from a downed tree in Wisconsin and expanded secretary workstations. Take a break from the routine and book a conference room or just stop in to work for a few hours. The offices have direct access to the Daley Center through Chicago’s underground pedway, so you never have to brave the weather going to court.

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Ron Bockstahler has worked with individual attorneys and law firms for the past 30 years, gaining an in depth understanding of the business of running a law practice. He is the co-founder and CEO of Amata Law Offices and Managing Broker for Amata Realty Group, LLC, a real estate firm dedicated to consulting attorneys on their office space needs. Ron can be reached at [email protected] or 312-924-0204.

 

Joel McFarlin has worked with individual attorneys and law firms for the past five years, leveraging his growing network to act as a connector with other attorneys and businesses throughout Chicago. He is the Vice-President of Sales for Amata Law Offices and Broker for Amata Realty Group, LLC. He enjoys making short videos around Chicago. You can watch his latest video from the Attorney Social River Cruise event here: https://youtu.be/CorfRXxh42Y. Joel can be reached at [email protected] or 312-924-2823.

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Growing Your Law Practice CLE with Steve Fretzin and Dan Lear

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Steve Fretzin and Dan Lear

Last Thursday I had the opportunity to sit in on the CLE hosted by Steve Fretzin, Attorney Coach, contributing writer for the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin, and Attorney Dan Lear, Director of Industry Relations at Avvo. I am not an attorney, but since my clientele is made up of over 800 attorneys I make it a point to stay up to date on as many legal matters as possible.

The subject matter was of particular interest to me since I have been all-hands-in with my own online marketing efforts lately. To be honest, the presentation and materials were great and about 10 minutes into the class I was sitting at attention and taking notes, no small task for someone who has dealt with a level of ADHD all his life. When Dan starting talking about branding a law firm, he keyed in on three themes: authenticity, knowing your ideal client and consistency. I guess these are all easy concepts to understand, but try practicing them and see how easy they are.

As you would expect from someone with experience working at Avvo, Dan brought up several examples to demonstrate these three points, but two really stood out for me. The first was an east coast law firm that specializes in 2nd amendment compliance & consulting. The firm is named Think Pink Law and uses the tagline “We do law. Differently”. Pink is not the last name of a partner, but it sure stands out and is very memorable. If I ever learn of someone in need of legal advice dealing with the 2nd amendment, I am quite sure I will remember Think Pink Law.

The second example I clearly remember from Dan’s presentation is from an immigration attorney who targets a specific clientele by offering assistance in filing Form I-864 for financial support. The target audience is divorced spouses of green card holders. Now I am sure this is only one part of their immigration law practice, but this one very targeted campaign really hits home with their clientele. After they provide quality service to this group, how many client referrals are they adding to their monthly intake? Target marketing such as this is a great way to grow a law practice.

Dan then went into a Top 10 Intake list for lawyers which was very insightful. You can view Dan’s entire list here. Many parts of this list is inspired by this article by Chicago-based Gyi Tsakalakis Lawyerist.

Then if all this wasn’t worth the price of admission (and the free lunch), Steve launched into understanding the “buyers’” mindset and started asking questions like, “What is your motivation for doing business development?” and “What makes someone successful at business development?” (I guessed at this one, somewhat incorrectly). Just for clarification, I translate “business development” to “keeping your new client intake machine churning even when you are on vacation.” Steve explained how behavior influences attitudes which in turn affects beliefs.

To me, this partially explains how a very knowledgeable attorney with a discomfort of speaking to strangers (think networking in an unfamiliar group) is able to change their attitudes and beliefs by attending more networking events and interacting with others. Steve also discussed how to choose the best networking opportunities and how to make the most of these sometimes-difficult learning experiences. If you are serious about growing a thriving law business while also enjoying the business of life you really need to attend Steve’s classes.

Steve has a great understanding in the field of building successful law businesses. After all, he has consulted hundreds of attorneys, both experienced and new practitioners, written two books on the subject, and speaks to lawyer groups around the country. Steve’s full presentation can be found here. You can also visit his web site and learn more about his newest program for attorneys, Origination Station, at www.fretzin.com.

As I mentioned earlier, Steve Fretzin is a contributing writer for the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin, and his June article, which can be found here, analyzes if the Differences Between Sales and Legal Business Development are just Semantics? and is a great read, offering some great tips to get away from the traditional “pitch” to clients and how to hold back to better understand what will motivate the client to hire you.

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Ron Bockstahler has has worked with individual attorneys and law firms for the past 30 years, gaining an in depth understanding of the business of running a law practice. He is the co-founder and CEO of Amata Law Offices and Managing Broker for Amata Realty Group, LLC, a real estate firm dedicated to consulting attorneys on their office space needs. Ron can be reached at [email protected] or (312) 924-0204.

Steve Fretzin is an Author and Attorney Coach and can be reached at [email protected] or at 312-981-0119.

Dan Lear is the Director of Industry Relations for Avvo and can be reached at [email protected] or 206-508-3012.

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Telecommute and Open Up Your Options As a Working Attorney

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Telecommute and Open Up Your Options As a Working Attorney

Updated: 2/27/18

“I am breaking away from my big law firm to practice law my own way. But a permanent office is not in my budget.”

“As a solo practicing attorney, I only want to commute to the city when necessary.”

“My family is important and I need to spend more time at home without giving up my practice or taking time off.”

Do any of these sound familiar to you?

Amata Law Offices can provide the solutions you need.

Yes, this is blatant self-promotion for Amata Law Office Suites, but only because we have over two decades of experience working for our attorney clients who in turn have helped us shape our company to better support them.

Providing Chicago Attorneys with Options

Self-promotion aside, I want to start this article by pointing out that the most important aspect of our centers is actually a concept built directly into the structure of all shared office space, ours and our competitor’s alike, and that’s the ability to give attorneys options.

So many options, in fact, that we need to narrow down the conversation just to explain how flexible a shared office space truly is.

Flexibility of Telecommuting

Let’s start where most small practices do and talk, not about renting space, but about telecommuting.

When you break telecommuting down, you have two immediate pros: The days you don’t commute to the office will save you time and money, and when you do commute you have options.

Pros of Telecommuting for Attorneys

Like all choices you make for your business, telecommuting has its pros and cons, but the biggest pro is the amount of choices it provides to burgeoning and established practices alike.

Access to Multiple Locations

Through all of our programs, for instance, our clients have access to every Amata center to work, receptionist services, and to meet with clients and partners, no matter which center they decide is their firm’s mailing address.

Convenience When You Commute

If you are coming into the city solely for a deposition, book a conference room at our 150 South Wacker office, a mere twenty feet from Union Station.

Spending the morning at court but need a small room to meet with a client in the afternoon? We have two locations a block from the Daley Center.

And when the kids have a day off school all of Amata’s offices can provide you a quiet cafe or solitary day office to work in.

Eliminating the Cons of Telecommuting for Attorneys

On the con side, bouncing ideas off fellow attorneys is part of the fun of a law firm practice, and if you are leaving a bigger firm to start your own you may find you miss that daily interaction.

A Large Group of Attorneys To Interact With

For the tenants at our 180 North LaSalle office one of the highlights is ending the day catching up with attorneys over a glass of wine in the Cognac room; brilliant attorney and masterful storyteller, Paul Goodman, makes me laugh every time we grab a drink. Not all clients are able to join in such impromptu weekly rituals and for telecommuting clients this is especially so.

Exclusive Attorney Networking Events

To combat this, we work to create opportunities for all our lawyers to have the community experience by organizing dozens of events throughout the year, from casual attorney socials after work to grander scale river cruises, and we have even gone so far as to build an online community that allows attorneys to network no matter where they choose to be. Whether they prefer working at home in the Chicago suburbs, or even at home in a completely different state.

Telecommuting Options for Locals and Non-Locals Alike

Yes, you read that correctly. Telecommuting is not just an option for new or small law firms. When you have put your years in and finally decide to pursue that isolated cabin in the woods, telecommuting allows you to continue doing the work you love.

A few years ago, one of my best friends moved just outside Chattanooga, Tennessee, yet he still maintains his successful law practice in Chicago, which boasts three attorneys and two support staff. He choose to commute 2-3 days each week and spend the rest of the days working at home in Tennessee.

He retained the physical space he needed for its Chicago employees, as well as the shared office space’s built-in manager who deals with all the nitty gritty: the phone system, the copier, office supplies and shredder and any issues that may come up with them all.

But now when the receptionist processes his calls, his clients are transferred to his cellphone even while his coworkers still maintain their physical phones, and we forward and scan his mail wherever he needs, at his request.

Make Telecommuting Work For You

Telecommuting is just one, small example of how Amata Law Office Suites can work for you and your firm. Speaking from many years of experience as a shared office space provider, I can offer a few tips:

As you begin your search you will find that people and writers like to argue about the layout of shared office space — open vs. closed.

As Jacob Morgan points out in his article Five Things You Need To Know About Telecommuting, the debates are absolutely pointless. I will reiterate the fact I opened this article up with: all shared office spaces are built to provide options, it’s implicit in its design.

What you really need to pay attention to when searching for your perfect space are the details.

Does the office atmosphere boost your company image when clients come to visit?

What if your firm were to grow so big taking traditional space was more affordable; would you be able to take your established phone number with you when you leave?

These are questions you must ask before signing any contract.

But if you are just starting out, and haven’t even thought about the details of a contract yet, I have one simple tip: pay attention to who the shared office space chooses as their partners.

If they aren’t partnering with business that are meant to help you and your firm grow, then maybe you should keep looking.

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Ron Bockstahler is the CEO of Amata Holdings, LLC and managing broker for Amata Realty Group. His companies have served the legal community for over 30 years and Ron regularly consults with attorneys on business development and space needs. You can contact Ron at [email protected] or call him at (312) 924-0204.

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