The modern legal workspace
With the dynamic mix of generations in the workforce and the advent of new technologies, the way people work has drastically changed. Law firms should now require a space that allows for both balanced teamwork and focused work and provides the opportunity for continuous learning, even though the traditional one person office for lawyers seems to maintain as a holy grail.
There are several key trends currently impacting the legal profession. When included in space’s design, they help to improve a firm’s performance and enable organizations to attract, excite, and retain exceptional people.
Real estate optimization
Envolving technologies coupled with the new economic realities have led law firms to re-imagine the type and quality of space they need. Changing client perceptions about legal services has encouraged law firms to take a critical eye to their real estate needs, often reducing their rentable space while maintaining attorney counts. The need to host clients in a luxurious office has been replaced with a clean, modern aesthetic that communicates success in a smart, savvy manner. Using space efficiently will become increasingly, important to maximize company assets while offering flexible environments that meet the needs of permanent office inhabitants and mobile workers alike.
Choice
The most forward-thinking law firms offer work setting choices – an optimal mix of space that includes areas for focused work as well as collaborative settings for socialization. Today’s work environments support smaller communities and smaller work groups, as well as alternative workspaces such as benching, mobile and community zones. Even hoteling, a concept that designates areas that employees can call ahead and reserve for a day of work, and free address options that typically allow workers to choose their desks for a particular day or even a portion of the day. Offering these types of spaces also allow for the office to become an actual private space, enabling focus work without distraction.
