Law Office Space Reimagined 

THE EVOLUTION OF LAW FIRM OFFICES

The modern-day law office has been evolving over the past 30 years, albeit at a pace that is hardly noticeable “in the moment”. But in retrospect, the way law is practiced has changed considerably. We don’t need to go back to the time when attorneys sent written correspondence to the typing pool to get them out to their clients, which could take up to a week, to see these changes.

Only 30 years ago fax machines were replacing mail and courier services as the best way to securely send documents quickly, law libraries were a staple and sense of pride in almost every law firm and having a large office was a show of strength and success. If we think back just a few more years to 1989, that is the year Sir Tim Berners-Lee invented the World Wide Web.

Over these years the average space allocated per attorney has gone from 1,400 sq. ft. to 700 sq. ft. today, with future target ratios of 400 sq. ft. per attorney. The reasons for the reduction in space per attorney vary, but in general, we can state that office space is expensive and law firms are better served reducing their office costs and allocating those funds to technology, automation tools and compensation.

Law firms are operating more like businesses today. When two firms merge, the bigger question is how to combine the technology they use, with less concern about the physical space they occupy. In fact, it can be argued that their space should have short-term lease terms that are not costly to terminate.

SHARED OFFICE SPACE - FOR ATTORNEYS

It is worth noting that in the break down of tools a law firm needs to serve their clients and grow a successful law practice listed above, there is no mention of a large pretentious office space with the firm's name on a wall or lavish offices, for the same reason there is no mention of a typing pool or law library. In the reimagined law offices these things are no longer needed and in many instances are viewed as representing a “stodgy” law firm; one that is not leading their industry and keeping up with the changing times.

In the fight to hire young talent, law firms are implementing remote work policies and showing more flexibility than in the past. Most have already adopted technology that allows them to reduce the need for paper storage in their offices and almost all software applications in use are cloud-based. Yet, with all these changes, for most law firms, the cost associated with office space remains their second largest expense, behind only compensation. To remain a leader in their field, law firms are finding ways to reduce their office expenses, with shared office space; reallocating those resources to better technology and automation that helps them provide industry leading services to their clients.

HYBRID OFFICE MODELING

When clients are coming into the office for a meeting or you just need to work out of the office for the day, Amata has a conference room or day office to suit your needs.

Many of the law firms Amata serves are utilizing a hybrid officing model to keep their expenses down and to provide flexibility for the clients. Since some lawyers do not need to come into the office on a regular basis, they no longer maintain the fixed costs of a traditional office space. Instead they maintain a shared office space near their home, using their conference rooms and day offices at Amata for gatherings with their entire law firm, client meetings, or when they need a space to work from occasionally.

Learn more about our Conference room options here