Designing an Office Space Essay

Designing a new office space for a law firm requires careful consideration and planning. Not only must the space be esthetically pleasing, but must function well for those who work within it. In addition, there are many other considerations that must be addressed. Among them are what type of space to choose, budgetary constraints, room for expansion, and technology. CHOOSING A SPACE The old adage in real estate goes â€Å"location, location, location.† This also holds true when considering a space for your firm. In our fact pattern the supervising attorney has two choices. The first is a shared space with five other solo practitioners. The second is a suite of offices that are located adjacent to a mid-sized firm. I would recommend to the supervising attorney that we choose the suite of offices. We would be given the opportunity and space to expand as our firm grows. Also, by locating ourselves adjacent to a mid-sized firm, we position ourselves to appear as a larger firm than what we are. This can help to create a positive first impression the first time clients visit the office. If we were to position ourselves within an office with five other practitioners, it would be less apparent to clients that we were running our own firm. BUDGETARY CONCERNS Although leasing as individual office space is often more expensive than sharing space with other attorney’s, I believe the firm would benefit from having its own space for several reasons. Image, along with reputation, is a key factor when a client chooses a firm. We want to convey to clients that we are a successful firm and having our own space will help to convey that. Also, sharing an office space with attorneys who practice other areas of law could lead to an uncomfortable environment or situation for our clients. A woman coming to see her divorce attorney may feel uncomfortable sharing a waiting room with a man, possibly charged with a violent crime, waiting to see his criminal defense attorney. EXPANSION PLANS By selecting to lease a suite of offices to use rather than a shared space, we afford ourselves the opportunity and space to expand. As the firm grows and takes on additional partners, we will need to increase our office space to accommodate both the attorney as well as support staff. Below is a sample layout for a sole practitioner law firm that I have designed with expansion in mind. When the time comes to expand, we can take over the adjacent office to create a space that closely mirrors the original space. By utilizing a single hallway between offices we increase efficiency and when we expand we can create a horseshoe shaped walk way within the office. AMENITIES The space will have many features and amenities that will enhance the client experience while increasing productivity. The reception area will have multiple seating areas. Large, oversized sofas will provide a comfortable place for clients to wait until they are seen. Small coffee tables will be available for clients to use to work from. A small buffet with coffee, tea, and pastries will be available for clients to enjoy. Each of these things will provide a positive first impression for the client as well as a comfortable experience. Both the attorney as well as the legal assistant will have private offices which will be adjacent to each other. This provides a way for them to communicate effectively as well as collaborate on cases as needed. The attorney’s office shall be sufficiently large enough to house reference materials and books in large custom bookshelves. The legal assistant’s office will also have bookshelves as well as file cabinets for storage. Attorneys will have a small room designated strictly for meeting with clients. This allows the attorney to meet with a client outside of their personal workspace. The client meeting room will feature a table that seats six people comfortably. Since one of our areas of practice is family law, the room will have a small armoire in which children’s toys can be stored for times when the client brings small children with them. A large conference room will be created for depositions and general meetings. It will have a large table capable of seating at least ten people. There will also be additional room available for a court reporter to record depositions. The conference room will be located across the hall for convenience to both the attorney and legal assistant. Additionally, the office will have several rooms dedicated to specific functions. There will be a copy room with an adjacent supply room. The copy room will house a copier as well as a fax and scanner. Locating the supply room adjacent to the copy room will create easy access for copy room supplies. A large break room with kitchen will allow the firm to have an area for caterers to set up in if we are having a large function. It will also serve as a lunch area or break room for staff. An I.T. room will house all of our computer servers as well as central phone equipment. The office will also have a large room dedicated to file storage. Inside the file storage room we will utilize fire resistant file cabinets to protect records. TECHNOLOGY Part of conveying a positive and successful image to clients will be the use of the latest available technologies within the office. The firm will adopt software that allows for cloud computing. This will allow both the attorney and the legal assistant to access information from both inside the office as well as outside. Wi-Fi will be provided in the office to facilitate the use of iPads and laptops. This will allow staff to take their laptop or iPad room to room during the course of their workday as they move from case to case. CONCLUSION Every decision that is made in the planning stages of designing a firm’s office layout can have both good and bad consequences. It is extremely important to give careful thought to how the space is laid out and how those who work in the space will utilize it. It is my belief that the plans laid out above would provide a way to achieve the firms goals of putting forth a positive and successful image, provide a path to expansion, as well as provide a space that will maximize efficiency and productivity. REFERENCES Roper, B.D. (2006). Practical Law Office Management. New York, NY: Thompson Delmar Learning.