Big law firms traditionally offered big offices to partners, with big allowances to deck out those offices. That strategy amounted to table stakes if a large firm wanted to attract the best talent. And the high-end furnishings and ample office space served a marketing purpose, conveying an air of success, power, and authority to clients. But law firms have not been left behind in responding to the sea change in office design and are adopting strategies like smaller, modular offices that encourage collaboration.
This trend began about five years ago, says Damla Gerhart, managing director of workplace strategy at CRBE Group, Inc. Because of changing demographics and technology and industry trends, many law firms are “proactively seeking opportunities to reduce costs and position themselves to attract talent.” Since real estate is such a large cost of doing business, it makes sense to look at the use of space.
“Traditionally there was a prevalence of hierarchy and standards, and your title reflected your status in the firm and the amount of space you occupied,” Gerhart says, but many law firms are reducing those differences along with their overall footprint. “A lot of firms have made great strides in becoming more paperless with their processes. Thus, marking up files and sharing information no longer requires housing boxes and boxes of paper,” she says, another reason there is less need for oversized offices.