Member Login
Get Started

Virtual Office

How to Keep Your Firm Running During a Crisis (And How Amata is Doing the Same)

by

Tablet on Couch: VPN Access

“Flatten the Curve.” This is not a Flat-Earther motto, but a worldwide goal to minimize the coronavirus by hindering the spread of the infection. Social distancing is key, but as of March 26th, there is still no federal mandate to shelter-in-place, and as Chicago found out just this week, warming weather causes many to disregard these executive orders (which in turn caused Mayor Lori Lightfoot to close down the parks).

All these factors pile up against our race to flatten the curve, and work against our goal to contain the spread. Meaning we could be experiencing these Shelter-In-Place orders for longer than anyone would truly like.

This makes it all the more important for law firms to innovate, adapt, and keep business running even from their homes, and we have a few tips to help.

Pick up the phone and give people a call

Friendliness. A new person to talk to. A reassuring voice. There are many reasons why this is our top tip. We are doing it ourselves: Amata staff members have been calling clients daily checking in on how they are doing, assuring them their firms are in good hands at Amata and asking if they need any help or training on our office services.

As a lawyer, calling existing clients and letting them know you’re still doing everything possible to work on their case (even though the courts are closed) can be a great way to keep the client relationship connection strong, and give not only reassurance, but great customer service during a trying time. The not so obvious tip is to also call your staff, peers, mentors, and people in your network regularly as well; more often than you normally would. The idea is to make up for lost time around the watercooler (so to speak). Better yet, schedule video conferences and invite a handful of people! There is no reason for social time, networking, and business to grind to a halt, and video conferences can reestablish a normalcy in performing all those tasks while we observe the current Shelter-in-Place order.

Commit to new technology

Now may not seem to be the right time to spend more money. But if your firm is having a hard time working (or even at a standstill) due to a lack of flexible infrastructure, then you may need to reassess that instinct. What happens if you experience Shelter-in-Place for a month? Or for two months? Or more –  as this opinion piece from the New York Times suggests is necessary for the orders to be effective?

Your firm has to keep running during this time because you still have business to get done, and that may mean taking new steps and adopting new tech. Find good options, and become prepared for the future. You may be surprised what great new things can be achieved when one is forced to innovate.

We’re a shining example of this tip at work: while Amata has been providing flexible law office services for nearly two decades, over the past two weeks we launched additional services to help our clients. Our 3CX Web & Video Conferencing is now included, free-of-charge, for all clients currently using our 3CX phone services and for everyone who signs up for a phone only, virtual law office, or private office during this time. This service was added due to the COVID-19 crisis and all our services are better now because of it.

Stay secure while working from home

This final tip comes in two-steps — the first is courtesy of the Amata Law Office Suites preferred technology services provider, Bridgepoint Technologies:

If you and your staff are new to working remotely from home, make sure your setup has a router along with a recommended firewall and that the computer being used has recent updates and virus protection. If you are connecting directly to your business network, only do so through a secure channel such as a VPN or secure remote software. Before doing so, make sure that your wireless network at home has a complicated password with a name that will not personally identify your home. I.e.: Don’t name it: “Smiths House”.

Read more about the importance of Network Security.

Part two of this step is to check that all employees and staff members have the equipment they need to successfully work from home. At Amata Law Office Suites we just recently started ordering headsets to make conferencing and calling easier now that many of us are using our computers instead of phones to communicate — having a sturdy Bluetooth headset has been invaluable for our staff during video conferences.

Discover our offices for lawyers in Chicago.

Advice on Moving (or Relocating) Your Law Firm

by

Advice on Moving (or Relocating) Your Law Firm

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:

  1. You can sublease again
  2. You even take on the dual role yourself and lease a large floor
  3. 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:

Discover our legal support staff for lawyers in Chicago.

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

by

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

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.

Discover our legal support staff for lawyers in Chicago.

How to Open a Virtual Law Firm

by

How to Open a Virtual Law Firm

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.

Discover our virtual offices in Chicago.

Why Open Office Spaces Don’t Work

by

Why Open Office Spaces Don’t Work

Open office space was a concept many deemed to be the ultimate solution in workplace collaboration and company success. Touted as the perfect arena for brainstorming sessions that would inevitably breed the best products and services available on the market and the environment for which the strongest collaborations would be born, open office spaces were idealized as the new definition of a company’s culture: friendly, innovative, and team-focused.

The only problem is, they don’t work. And here’s why:

Increased Distractions = Waning Productivity

If you’ve ever found yourself amongst a bustling crowd of market-goers while trying to find the perfect produce to bring home for dinner, you can understand how difficult it can be to focus your attention on finding exactly what you’re after and making the most efficient use of your time: Get in. Get out.

The same speaks true for open office spaces. Research has proven that productivity is at an all-time low thanks to the constant overstimulation within the surroundings. When you’re unable to focus solely on your tasks at hand, it’s difficult to hit deadlines, and even more difficult to ensure the work you’re putting out is at the level it needs to be.

Open Offices are Experiencing More Isolation, Less Collaboration

While the idea behind increasing collaboration through open office spaces looked good on paper, the results paint quite a different picture. By moving away from traditional office spaces – and yes, even the dreaded cubicle – privacy has become nonexistent. While you would expect that to automatically result in more face-to-face interaction, the truth is that people want and need time to themselves, especially when focusing on pressing work.

Harvard Business School conducted a research study that found with open spaces comes an even larger gap in collaboration. In fact, most employees are choosing to isolate themselves as much as possible despite the fact that they have no real privacy (ie: wearing large headphones and keeping their heads down in an effort to appear busy).

More People Desire Remote Work Than Ever

The truth of the matter is, more and more people would rather work from home or enjoy the freedom that a virtual office provides. When compared to open office spaces, they are finding the trade off of isolation vs overwhelm to be worth it.

Amata Offers Virtual Office Packages Designed for You

If you’re ready to ditch the open office space for actual productivity and results, then a virtual office package may be just what you’re looking for. Amata has several packages to choose from to accommodate any business needs, no matter how big or small.

Find the virtual office package that’s right for you.

Discover our offices for lawyers in Chicago.

The Modern Office is Changing to Accommodate Small Businesses

by

Modern Office is Changing to Accommodate Small Businesses

Small businesses are having a great couple of years, and they are continuing to be optimistic towards the future. If you’re one of the many experiencing growth in your business, and evaluating office space, don’t go straight to the realtor’s office. Instead embrace the varied options available thanks to continued demand for flexible, cost-efficient space for small businesses.

Overhead for Permanent Offices is Shrinking in Shared Office Facilities

Looking for a brick-and-mortar location to house your business or team? There’s a better way than leasing large amounts of space at exorbitant costs and taking on all the property management responsibilities that come with it.

Now, you can enjoy private office space for your company at a much lower cost by sharing the community areas like reception, cafes and lounges. You’ll save on monthly expenses in not only your physical space but also in your staffing requirements as you’re able to take advantage of professional front-end staff members of the facility your company is located within.

Day Office Rentals Allow More Freedom

Many business owners simply need a place to meet, on occasion, with their clients. Either they work primarily from home, have a job that requires extensive travelling, or spend all day running around the city from meeting to meeting. If this describes you, day office rentals are a great option to keep costs down, while giving you a spot to work when you do need it.

Shared office providers offer everything from full private offices to rentable desks for the day. Whether you prefer the confidentiality of a classic office, or work best in a bubbling open coworking space, there is an option out there for you. And if your needs change you will find shared office providers allow an easy transition from this on-the-go virtual working into a more permanent space.

Business Addresses: When the Only Office You Need is at Home

Your business is just starting, you may even be working a different part-time job right now, and you have no need for meeting space or even a receptionist to answer your calls – not yet at least. What you need is a business address. An address that, when looked up by prospective clients or partners, does not return as a residential location.

Having a professional business address for your business is the ultimate way to say “I’m successful” without taking on the overhead costs of real office space. Not only will you enjoy the privacy of not giving out your home address, but you can take advantage of mail handling services – such as scanning and forwarding — that make it a breeze to still receive all your incoming correspondence in a timely manner. Like the options listed above, you can find business addresses and mail services at your local shared office space provider.

Interested in working virtually? 5 things you should know first.

Discover our offices for lawyers in Chicago.

5 Things You Should Know if You Want to Work Virtually

by

work virtually from home office

3.9 million Americans now work virtually at least half of the week, and that number continues to grow. While there can be many perks in working remotely, there can also be drawbacks unless you’re prepared. We’ve put together a list of 5 things you should know if you want to work virtually, so that you are able to enter the remote workforce and experience success, not burnout.

1. Set Business Hours & Stick to Them

When you work virtually, your home becomes your office. And while that may seem appealing to many, it can create quick burnout unless you set business hours and stick to them from the very beginning. Establishing business hours allows you to not feel tied to your computer during family time or feeling the need to open your laptop as soon as you roll out of bed.

Remember: If you were at an office, you’d be more likely to only handle work there, not at home. So treat your home office the same.

2. Create a Designated Space for Your Virtual Office

In the same way you’d have a designated office if you didn’t work virtually, you should also create a specific space for one when working from home. The reason: It allows you to leave work, “at work”. This is a crucial step in addition to tip #1 that will offer you freedom from burnout and overworking. Creating a designated space for your virtual office will also establish boundaries for any other family members that may be home during your working hours. They’ll know that when you’re in your office, you’re working, and it will help you stay focused.

If you’re self-employed and file a Schedule C, you can also claim the Home Office Deduction on your taxes.

3. Eliminate Distractions by Scheduling Breaks

Working virtually can lead to one of two scenarios: Either you are so focused on your work that you plow through any break time (including taking that lunch that will re-energize you for a busy afternoon of meetings), or you find yourself constantly being distracted by all the things you could be doing and wind up having to work outside of your scheduled hours to play catch up.

Set an alarm on your phone for a 15-20 minute break in both the morning and afternoon, and make sure to include an alarm for your lunch break. Develop the habit now of only scrolling through social media or answering personal emails during these windows to help you be the most productive during your “on-the-clock” working hours.

4. Maintain a Professional Appearance for Your Business

Have you considered the drawbacks to providing your home address or personal cell number to clients when working remotely? Amata’s Virtual Office packages allow you to obtain a professional business address from any one of our prestigious downtown Chicago locations. You’ll also enjoy the functionality of utilizing a cutting edge 3CX VoiP business phone system to maintain your privacy while working from home.

5. Enjoy the Freedoms Allowed for Those Who Work Virtually

Just because you work virtually doesn’t mean you have to be sequestered to your home during working hours. Coworking facilities offer a great place for you to work when you’re feeling the need for a change in scenery. They’re also the perfect place to hold client meetings and provide the professional environment your clients are looking for. You can even book conference rooms or day offices as the need arises as well.

Amata is rewriting the rules when it comes to remote work. Our Virtual Office programs bring your virtual working experience to a new level of professionalism and exceptionality without breaking the bank. Choose the services that work best for you and run your business the way you want from virtually anywhere.

Discover our virtual offices in Chicago.

Amata Brings More Opportunities for the Firms of the Future

by

Law Firms – How Big is Too Big for Law Office Suites

Over the past five years, the landscape has dramatically changed in terms of what today’s practicing attorneys consider to be viable, and logistical, space for their firm.

Law Offices Changing with the Times

Traditionally speaking, law firms elected to have their own office spaces, which meant signing a non-flexible lease with a building. However, such is not the case these days.

Technology has many attorneys working remotely, greatly reducing the need for an office dedicated to every attorney in the firm.

Eliminating Large Overhead Costs

For instance, Amata has a fourteen-attorney firm here in Chicago where the attorneys reserve the use of our Amata offices in advance. Between them, they share ten offices, and because they are all rarely in the office at the same time, it allows the firm to keep their office costs down while continuing to grow their practice. The firm maintains an ongoing option to add or remove an office as the needs of their firm change.

Coworking Becomes Commonplace

We live in a business environment where coworking has become the norm for small companies and large corporations alike. It seems only natural that attorneys would want to adapt to this new reality and reap the profitable, worthwhile benefits of shared office spaces.

“So while the world around the legal profession is changing dramatically, few lawyers are making changes to the way they practice law.” – Law Practice Today

The old adage says lawyers are slow to change, and that may still be a true statement, but the firms that will lead the way in the future are quickly moving to play by new rules.

Shared Office Space – Not a Foreign Concept

In many ways, solo and small law practices have already been sharing office space with larger firms for years, so the concept is not totally new.

However, this traditional way of sharing space with larger firms can present several very real, very big problems for those smaller practices.

Traditional Law Firm Space May Leave Your Firm Stranded

The biggest problem is that you may get kicked out with short notice when that large firm you’re sharing space with needs more space for their own growth.

Trying to scramble to find a suitable place at an affordable cost that’s still convenient to your current clients as well as your own needs becomes increasingly difficult when you’re juggling a crunched timeframe.

Another downside to this arrangement is that the larger practice is focused on promoting themselves, not you within the space.

Traditional Law Firm Space Poses Problems for Your Firm’s Expansion

Another rather large issue that should be addressed is when a mid-sized firm takes traditional space with plans to grow. Normally, they will sign a long-term lease for more space than the practice currently needs with plans to add attorneys and staff in the future.

But when those plans don’t materialize as quickly as planned, the firm ends up playing the role of landlord, forced to find other tenants to occupy the empty space until they need it for their own firm.

In the real estate world this “empty space” is referred to as “shadow space”.

Playing Landlord Isn’t Using Assets to Your Advantage

Perhaps the worst part of this process is the fact that the attorney leaseholder rarely has the experience and knowledge of the market and therefore ends up charging tenant-attorney rates below cost, covering the balance with income from the law practice.

At the end of the day, are you practicing law to cover the cost of excess space? Isn’t there a better way to utilize this excess income?

Amata Law Office Suites Provides the Solutions

Amata Law Office Suites is office space designed specifically for attorneys, providing the comradery, connections, and atmosphere attorneys enjoy without the overhead for unused space and long-term equipment lease, reducing the risk of operating a law practice.

You Can Grow and Downsize Your Law Firm as Needed with Amata

As your firm grows at Amata you are easily able to add office space, controlling your costs and incidentally, being aware of your exact cost to add an associate or staff member.

If times become hard for your practice and you need to reduce, you have the option of removing office space to keep your costs in line with your revenue.

Amata Offers Perks You Won’t Find in a Traditional Firm Setting

At Amata Law Office Suites, we’ve been supporting attorneys for over twenty years, so we understand the things you and your clients truly want and need. These are just a few of the perks Amata provides that you won’t get in a traditional firm setting:

  • Lead and Referral Generation
    Amata places great importance on providing a road for your firm’s success. We host numerous attorney networking events throughout the year where you can gain high-quality leads that are often pre-qualified.
  • On-Site Paralegals, Ready to Assist
    Not ready to expand your firm’s staff yet but still need some extra hands on deck? The paralegals located at Amata Law Office Suites are incredibly trained and ready when you need them.
  • Professional, Trained Reception
    Our reception at Amata raises the bar for all others. Professional to the core, they greet your clients and screen your calls so you can focus on the casework you need to.
  • Exclusive Marketing Exposure
    Amata loves nothing more than to proudly support and promote our members. We offer opportunities that include getting published in Attorney-At-Law Magazine, guest blogging at Amata, and more!
  • Flexibility for Every Budget
    Why pay for space you don’t need? Add an attorney or staff member, add an office or workstation; lose an attorney or staff member, remove the cost of the space with a one-month notice. Pay for only what you need, when you need it, and increase your profits. Amata Law Office Suites features plans built-to-suit so you can run your firm more efficiently, including virtual and telecommuting packages!

Place your law office where it should be – with Amata Law Office Suites.

For more information, give us a call us at 312-741-1000, or complete the form below.

Discover our legal support staff for lawyers in Chicago.

How To Work When Your Firm’s Been Displaced

by

How To Work When Your Firm’s Been Displaced

What happens when the unthinkable occurs and you find your law office space in Chicago has been displaced due to fire, flood, or other catastrophic event? This is a question no attorney wants to mull over as it can present a slew of potential headaches, financial pressures, and strains to consider that will affect your firm during the transition period. However, if you don’t have a contingency plan in place, you’re setting your firm up for a difficult and strenuous displacement.

When displacement occurs, the main focus should be on getting your firm back up and running as quickly and efficiently as possible. The transition should be swift and smooth to provide both you and your clients a feeling of seamlessness while maintaining your firm’s integrity as well as your clients’ faith that the ball won’t be dropped on their cases just because you’ve experienced a situation out of your control.

In order to provide this security for your firm and clients, you should consider the following:

1. Rent Only the Space You Need – Conference Rooms

With your law offices in Chicago out of use, you’ll need a professional place to meet with your clients, conduct closings and depositions, etc. The last thing you want to do when dealing with displacement is allocate more funds than necessary for a temporary space. By utilizing a conference room rental, you can choose the size of space tailored to your firm’s needs and use it only when you need it. Make sure your conference room includes necessary items like a conference phone and high speed Internet.

  • Day Offices
    You should be able to focus on your cases in a space that offers the feel of a firm or schedule a day of meetings with clients where you can provide them with the sharp, professional aesthetic they’ve come to know and expect from you.
  • Large Conference Rooms
    It’s important to have a place to meet with your litigation teams that is large enough to hold everyone and is close to the courts so you gain time preparing witnesses during trials. Make sure your conference room is located conveniently to the courts in Chicago, and if not, close to transportation so you can quickly get to and from them.
  • Board Rooms
    When law offices in Chicago are displaced for any period of time, board room rental is an affordable solution for gatherings of large groups and provides an excellent opportunity for attorney networking during meetings and seminars.

2. Take Advantage of Attorney Networking Opportunities

Just because your law office space in Chicago has been displaced doesn’t mean you can’t find and enjoy perks in the meantime – perks like taking advantage of attorney networking where you can receive expert guidance and co-counsel opportunities as well as a vast referral network that you only get with a virtual or coworking space for attorneys. These all offer the ability for your firm to grow and prosper even in the event of a disaster.

  • Virtual and Coworking Space for Attorneys
    Virtual and coworking space for attorneys allows you to utilize a professional office space when you need it. Present the professional image of your firm when you want, and save financially by working from home during the other times. Just make sure wherever you choose to house your Chicago attorney office rental it has multiple locations to take advantage of. This will ensure you can conduct firm business when and where you need at a moment’s notice.
  • Surround Your Firm with Experts
    Attorney networking is critical to growing your firm – whether just starting out or having been in practice for a few decades. By choosing a location for your firm during displacement that offers a community of lawyers, you are essentially boosting the potential success of your firm in spite of the situation you’re currently facing with displacement.
  • Use Your Time for Billable Hours
    It’s enough to have to deal with finding a Chicago attorney office rental when your firm’s been displaced. Adding on the daily mundane tasks to that ever-growing pile of frustration is easily avoidable. Make sure the space your firm will temporarily be utilizing offers highly-trained, expert attorney staff on-hand that handle things like call answering, administrative tasks, and client intake. Get an even bigger bonus when you find a location that includes this service as a standard.

3. Private Chicago Attorney Office Rental

If your law office in Chicago is in need of a longer time table for space during displacement, you may want to consider renting a private office space. When considering a private office, you’ll want to ensure it offers the same attorney networking benefits as virtual and coworking space for attorneys as well as the following:

  • Individually Priced Offices
    The last thing you should waste money on is a private office space that is half the size but the same price as the larger, corner office down the hall. When seeking out a Chicago attorney office rental for private offices, make sure the pricing is individualized. That way, you a find what fits in your budget.
  • Saves on Extras
    Enjoying a community of lawyers that allows for attorney networking when your firm’s been displaced happens best when your Chicago law offices are in a space that shares common areas like cafes and lounges. Look for common areas that expand your space without expanding the price. It should always be included.
  • Chicago Law Office Aesthetic
    Even though your firm has been displaced, you and your clients shouldn’t have to feel the burden of change during the transition period. Choosing a Chicago attorney office rental space that holds the aesthetic that best represents your firm is key to ensuring a smooth shift from one space to the next and back again. Keeping with the look and feel of your current law offices in Chicago will also keep you working efficiently and more productively as you’ll feel at home.

Keeping all of these things in mind when looking for Chicago attorney office rental space will greatly ease the burden of displacement. It’s important for your firm to get back to focusing on billable hours and not dwell on the situation at hand.

If you’re looking for a Chicago attorney office rental that offers all of these things and more, look no further than Amata Law Office Suites. With multiple locations to choose from, all boasting different aesthetics from traditional to modern and everything in between, there’s something for everyone. Our locales are all convenient to Chicago courts and major transportation as well to save you time and money so you can focus on what really matters – getting back to business.

Tired of wasting time being an office manager instead of handling firm business? Give Amata a call today to find out the Amata difference!

Discover our offices for lawyers in Chicago.

Telecommute and Open Up Your Options As a Working Attorney

by

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.

—–

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.

Discover our virtual offices in Chicago.