The legal industry is not immune to the technological and workplace advances of the 21st century. One such development is “co-working spaces,” where attorneys or other professionals share an office space even though they are not affiliated together in a practice or firm, often for a much reduced cost than if they each rented their own space. This new phenomenon is especially popular in urban areas where the cost of rent is high. In the last decade the number of co-working spaces is reported to have nearly doubled every year.

As a result, many attorneys, especially young attorneys, have joined their fellow professionals in the co-working space world. In addition to saving money on rent, attorneys in a shared space may find it helpful to occasionally consult one another on a case or other issues related to the business and practice of law. And these conversations are usually an acceptable and beneficial boon when sharing a workplace.