Perkins Coie leaders told firm personnel Friday that they can continue working remotely until October, but when they do return, they'll find that the firm is well into the process of changing how it uses its space. Those firm changes include a large reduction in total office footprint and adopting a "hybrid workplace" model after October for a mix of in-office and remote work. The Seattle-based firm has already turned to single-sized offices in four locations. And four other offices have recently or will soon see space reductions that will collectively result in a 24% contraction in the firm's total footprint. The elimination of 71,282 square feet in Seattle; Palo Alto, California; Denver; and Chicago is equivalent to more than 25 tennis courts. While the moves to single-sized offices in San Francisco, San Diego, New York and a newly expanded floor in Washington, D.C., came before the arrival of COVID-19, the pandemic accelerated the firm's approach to redefining space, the firm indicated. "Single-sized offices started begging the question of how we use our space in general," said Perkins Coie chief of business operations Tammy Baldwin. "We're now pushing it even further. The pandemic gave it a lot of energy." While the firm's offices are currently open for attorneys and staff who wish to use them, subject to social distancing and other protocols, the firm anticipates that Friday's extension of remote work will be the last one. But leaders are also planning on adopting a "hybrid workplace" model allowing a mix of in-office and remote work come October. According to Baldwin, that means a mix of office sharing, hoteling and reverse hoteling for many in the firm. When two people both anticipate they'll be in the office on fixed schedules that don't overlap, they can share an office and keep their physical items in the same place. Under hoteling, others who wish to come in on a less predictable basis can take a free office when they do appear. And via reverse hoteling, offices that are in regular use by one individual will open up as "surge" or "overflow" space when the office holder is out. Baldwin said that education has proved crucial to overturning internal resistance to sharing space. "It's just conversation after conversation. There's no magic to this," she said. "We're talking to people over and over, and after a while, people are seeing it. For associates and staff, it comes with the knowledge that I'm going to have the flexibility I need." While they feature less private space, the new offices have what Baldwin describes as more "we" space. That includes collaboration areas and conference rooms, as well as a mother's room, prayer room and respite room in the new Chicago office, which is being built out this year, also on a single-sized office model. "We've been able to maintain our culture of collaboration," she said. "Now, the challenge for us as we design space is what makes you want to come back." There are clearly financial benefits from this reorientation, both in terms of cost savings in the short term and what Baldwin called "cost avoidance" in the long term as the firm avoids being yoked to underused real estate. And looking forward, the firm is committing to single-sized offices in all new builds and remodels. Perkins Coie isn't alone in the trend of reducing footprints. Sherry Cushman, who heads the legal sector advisory group for commercial real estate services firm Cushman & Wakefield, recently noted that one San Francisco firm recently decided to shift all its employees to shared offices when they return. And she said that other firms she's worked with are looking to scale back anywhere from 10% to 40% percent. |

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