It’s important to know just what you’re getting with your office space provider before you sign on the line. We chose three major law office space providers in Chicago – WeWork, Regus and Amata – and broke down the differences to provide you better insight on where your firm might thrive best.
The Basics: Pricing & How Each Chicago Office Space Provider Measures Up
All three of the office space companies have a variety of locations and therefore will have pricing that varies depending on square footage and office building location.
What you really need to focus on, is where the additions come into play, and most of that can only be found once you request a proposal.
WeWork: Need phone services? Then you’ll need an office or desk…
Only members with a Dedicated Desk or a Private Office are able to request phone services. So, if you are looking for an all-inclusive Virtual Office package, you will need to look elsewhere.
Regus: Build what you need – but pay attention to price.
Regus is a build what you need facility, and that means all their amenities are add-ons, including essentials like the internet. This is good if you need the bare minimum (or less) but your invoice can add-up quickly if you don’t pay attention.
Amata: An attempt to bundle services, but not an exception.
Amata makes things easier by bundling select services into their Private & Virtual Offices – internet and furniture is included for their private offices, for instance.
But you can only bundle so much and so like WeWork and Regus you will need to request a proposal if you are interested in a private office. If you are looking for a Virtual Office program, however, full details and pricing are listed online.
Amenities Make All the Difference – Who Has the Best?
Let’s face it: amenities can often make or break the deal. If you’re going to pay for law office space, you want more than four white walls and a door.
WeWork: Perfect for start-ups, incubators, and aspirations of being Google.
With any WeWork office space in Chicago, you’ll also receive:
- Reception
- Micro-roasted coffee, tea, and fruit water
- Beer on tap at select locations
- Locations may also include: ping pong tables, bocce ball courts, and meditation rooms (these are just a few fun perks!)
Regus: The basics you need, none of the riff-raff.
While Regus doesn’t offer quite as many amenities as WeWork, they do offer the basics you need to run a business.
- Reception and telephone answering
- Admin support
- Coffee, water and tea
Amata: Tailored to small firm attorneys who need more from their space.
The list speaks for itself, but at Amata, you’ll get to enjoy amenities tailored specifically to attorneys like:
- Paralegal services and administrative support
- Customizable reception and phone answering
- Legal networking and education events
- Fixed-fee court filings
- Spanish translation services
- Coffee, water, tea; coke fountain machine at select locations
- Cognac room for important meetings and celebrations
Choose the Partnerships that Work Best for Your Firm
The best way to decipher a company’s true interests is to look at the partnerships they invest in. Are they linking with companies that help their clients? Are they joining with non-profits to create a better world? Or are they simply partnering with people that help fulfill their needs?
All good companies are a mixture of these things but pay attention to partnerships and you may uncover more about the character of the people in charge.
WeWork Partnerships
2U: Education Technology Company, Airbnb, Techstars’ Accelerator and Start-up Programs, and Salesforce.
Regus Partnerships
Business Continuity Institute, American Airlines Admiral Club, Delta Airlines Crown Room Club, Equity Office Properties, Hines Interests, and Mack-Cali Realty Corporation.
Amata Partnerships
Union League Club of Chicago, The Metropolitan Club, Republic Bank, CBA Insurance Agency (a subsidiary of The Chicago Bar Association), and R4 Services.
No matter which Chicago office space provider you choose for your firm, it’s important to know exactly what you’re getting and how those features, amenities, and partnerships can benefit and even possibly help grow your law practice.
Download this chart for a side-by-side comparison of each of these office space providers.