Downtown: Traditional Office Space Is No Longer Necessary

Even as larger companies begin to prompt their workers to be back in the office for a settled number of days each week, that doesn’t mean they’re not supporting an unnecessary expense.  And, for small businesses, including small law firms, a traditional office space (including a lease), is largely unnecessary. 

And, it’s not just about lawyers (especially the next wave of attorneys, young lawyers) wanting flexibility; it’s more about clients and leads wanting it.  The notion that the majority of your clients will be coming into your office is antiquated.  That vast majority of your clients will want to do Zoom meetings – just like you.  They don’t want to drive somewhere or pay to park, either.  And, if you need to meet in-person with a client, coworking spaces, or borrowing spaces from attorneys who do maintain traditional office space, are both viable options.  Even depositions can be done virtually; or, if you prefer, many companies that provide deposition-related services offer space for in-person depositions, should you need same.  Now, the court system has been slowly moving away from virtual options over the last year or so – and, that trend is likely to continue; but, you can always drive to the courthouse from your house, or use appearance counsel. 

 

Now, some folks are concerned about the difficulty of building a firm culture, when everyone is remote.  But, let’s be honest: law firm owners were not covering themselves in glory with respect to building firm culture pre-COVID, anyway.  So, almost anything is better than what had been happening.  That being said, you can do a lot over video conferences, emails and Slack – and, law firms have been doing some interesting things re team building, including: running more professional development programs, having more (and more focused) meetings, offering concerts and cooking lessons to their staff, and more. 

 

So, if you’re looking to reduce your budget, your office footprint should be in your sights.  Especially as a small law firm owner, the office is overrated. 

 

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If you want to talk more about how to avoid the office trap, let’s talk. 

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