Focus: Adopting an innovative law firm office design

Importance of law firm office designs

In the past, law firm office designs would have been the least of the problems for firm managers and partners. With frequent out-of-office transactions and court hearings, firm workers tend to spend less time in the office. If they do, it’s mostly just to initially meet some clients or do some alone time writing those pleadings and legal documents.

But upon realizing that interior spaces affect the relationships among users and between the firm and their clients, efforts are now put into designing law firm offices. This also coincides with the advent and growth of law firm marketing, which office layouts have become a part of.

Here are some important reasons on why you should consider the office design for your law firm:

• improve day-to-day operations: productivity would still be the top consideration to alter office spaces, since its physical layout affects how people move, their interactions with each other, and eventually their work outputs
• promote a positive client experience: related to productivity is having an office design which is inviting for clients, making them comfortable within the walls of the firm and giving off an assurance that their needs will be met
• reflect a firm’s values: aside from ethical and professional conduct, a firm’s office space, the way it looks, and how it’s perceived by clients are a reflection of the firm’s and each lawyer’s values

These things will be addressed more in our discussions below. As a primer of how law firm office design changes over the years, here’s a video from Canadian Lawyer Magazine, one of our sister publications, on how legal offices are shifting to open concept workspaces from traditional office structures:

You can also bookmark our Practice Management page for other regular resources to help you improve your firm’s day-to-day operations.

Key considerations when designing a law firm’s interiors

With those factors on why a law firm’s office design is important in mind, let’s check some key considerations when choosing a design. While these factors may seem applicable when you’re looking for or designing a brand-new office, this is also applicable if you want to freshen up the way your office currently looks.

Addressing office concerns from employees

In the case of office renovations, there’s no better way to design your law firm than to listen to your current workers. This is especially true for those who are using a traditionally designed office — divided, private spaces, with solid walls and doors, plus some windows on the side. This is compared to open-plan offices, which tend to erase these barriers for more collaborative work among employees.

Whether your workers are more inclined to a classic, traditional design, or to a modern one must be answered not just by the top managers, but everyone using the office space. Aside from this, it will not just ensure that everyone is heard when making large physical changes in the firm, but so that your office space is adjusted to how your firm really works.

This is to keep your law firm's office design grounded in the actual needs (and maybe also the wants) of those using it. Here are some suggestions on how to do this:

• when hiring an interior designer, have them ask for suggestions from lawyers who are working in the office
• designers can also consult the firm’s previous and current clients, especially on how they would make out of the current office layout and their usual expectations
• before a layout is finalized, have it presented to everyone, including some of the alternatives

In all, this will ensure everyone’s comfort and that the office design is well adjusted for everyone’s work habits. This is undeniably connected to each associate’s and partner’s performance, productivity, and all those KPIs.

Making the office fit for your clients

Aside from heeding the clamors of the actual users of the office space, another segment which must be kept in mind for law firm office design is the clients. Keeping in mind their perspective when entering the office doors would be helpful when deciding whether to stick to the traditional setup or to move on to something modern.

Here are some suggestions on how to make a client-centered office space for your firm:

• having a good reception area: first impressions last, and aside from that first lawyer-client encounter, the firm’s reception area plays an important role in forming your clients’ impressions about your firm
• making the office accessible: your firm’s target clients may come from different sectors and age brackets, which should urge you to layout your firm to be easily accessible and navigable to everyone

Different options for a law firm office design

Although they may differ in names, there are three common types of office designs that can be used also by law firms and boutiques of all size:

1. Classic or traditional
2. Open-plan or team-oriented
3. Hybrid of these two office designs

We’ll discuss more on these types below.

1. Classic office design

Whenever we think of classic, traditional law firms, we imagine a 1:1 office-lawyer ratio, where each person is compartmentalized within their own space. It may also refer to the cubicle layout, which is the usual design for offices, especially in the 80s and 90s. Partitions in every cubicle or office may be permanent or not, depending on its users and the seniority among workers.

Usually, a traditional or classic office layout are done this way:

• several enclosed offices: each worker gets their own office (walled and doored office) or cubicle (either with high or low partitions)
• meeting space: a common area where all meetings take place (e.g., between partners and associates, or between a handling lawyer and their client)
• receiving area: before clients and workers can enter any of the enclosed office of a lawyer, they will first be received in a common area

Benefits of a classic office layout

When it comes to a law firm office design, a classic or traditional design puts emphasis on privacy and giving everyone their own space. The design also reflects the firm’s hierarchy and the tiered process on how things work in the firm.

If you’re considering this type of office design for your law firm, the following are just some of its benefits that you can consider:

• workers who want to have their own “me-time” when working will thrive better in a traditionally designed office
• private concerns may be addressed directly by going to a closed office of a particular lawyer
• clients with preference over formal set-ups may prefer the classic office design

2. Open-plan offices

A key feature for open-plan or team-oriented offices is that they're a communal workspace. Workers within the office can collaborate more freely by eliminating physical restrictions. When applied in a law firm, lawyers can connect more with each other, including the other employees such as the paralegals and office staff.

Here are some of the other features of open-plan offices:

• workstations: whether you’re a junior or senior lawyer in the firm, everyone can work together in common workstations sprawled across the office, or either in one large common area right in the middle of the firm
• boardrooms: since each lawyer would be working in common areas, meetings with clients and corporate meetings are held in encased boardrooms, which can be soundproofed and curtained to ensure privacy
• phone booths: aside from private boardrooms, individual calls of lawyers may be done in phone booths, making sure that there’s still privacy for the lawyer, but common spaces are retained in open offices
• common areas: in addition to common work areas so that workers can easily talk to each other, open offices feature other common areas for additional interaction (e.g., pantry area)

Here's an example of an open-plan office space:

Advantages of open-plan offices

These kinds of offices are big on visibility, connection, and interaction among co-workers. This premise is the basis on how the office is arranged, such as its physical layout, color schemes, and the use of construction materials.

Below are some advantages when shifting from the classic office design to this modern design:

• partners and their associates can work together seamlessly, since physical barriers, such as doors and the knock-before-you-enter feels, are eliminated
• people in the work areas can see anyone walking by, because there is nothing to hinder their view of the office space
• because of the use of glass and retractable curtains, there’s more light coming in the office, giving the office a fresher look

This video shows a law firm in Canada that adapted to a more modern type of office design, which is more similar to an open-plan or open concept workspace:

For more inspiration on your own law firm office design, you can check out the top law firms in Ontario as references. You can go to this Special Report from Canadian Lawyer Magazine on the Top 10 Ontario Regional Firms to find out who’s who in the province.

3. Hybrid set-up

A hybrid office design aims to achieve the best of both worlds — nitpicking the advantages of both the traditional and open-plan offices, but without their cons.

For instance, in an open workspace, there are those who would still want their own pod or cubicle. They may be provided with one, without having to eliminate the common spaces for interaction among other employees. Top managers of the firm may also be given their own walled offices, because of the very sensitive matters they may have to deal everyday. 

Other things to consider when designing a law firm office

Aside from choosing the type of law firm office design suitable for your workforce and clients, there are other factors that will come to play, such as:

• costs: working around your own budget is important since any of the above-mentioned three options are expensive one way or the other
• furniture: the visuals of your chairs, tables, and other furniture must also complement the vibe that you want for your firm
• lighting: having a good lighting affects the mood of people working in the office, including the clients who come in (e.g., ensuring natural light compared to artificial ones, or by using more glass partitions)
• colour scheme: choosing the best colour for your painted walls and furniture will also complement your overall theme for the firm
• location: where your firm will be, such as in a particular area of the city, will also affect its overall message and client’s perceptions
• amenities: throw in some snacks in the reception area, ensure that water flows freely, or having a strong Wi-Fi connection are just some of the amenities that will help both workers and clients

Law firm office design: more than just aesthetics

The legal profession continues to evolve, and this does not only pertain to common law and the statutes, but also to how firms do their business. Nowadays, a well-thought law firm office design can transform your workspace and reflect your firm's culture and ideals.

The trend now is moving towards innovation of what has been the usual office space designs and using office layouts that prioritize functionality and client comfort. As such, a law firm office design is more than just aesthetics, but it’s also an investment for your firm’s success.

Our Features page highlights write-ups and insights from lawyers — from doing your own law firm office design to other management methods — to ease your daily legal struggle