The corner office. For many, it has symbolized the pinnacle of success in a law firm. Yet, some would argue, the corner office also represents an outdated and impractical approach to managing one of a law firm’s most expensive and important resources space. When our firm Best Best & Krieger set out to find innovative ways to address real estate costs and usage across our nine offices, we developed a plan that we believe eliminates wasted space, decreases expenses and, in many cases, does away with the corner office. What we gained was a creative way to provide our attorneys, staff and clients with comfortable, efficient office space while improving our bottom line. The process was professionally rewarding, and surprisingly, not as difficult as some might expect.
Have a strategy
When I joined BB&K in 2009, one of my first objectives was to address the firm’s real estate use and create a strategy for the future. At that time, the firm had eight offices throughout California (we have since added a ninth office in Washington, D.C.). An audit of each office revealed little consistency in terms of design, real estate brokers, architects and general contractors. Each office was very much a reflection of the local market (which can have benefits), but it resulted in a disjointed firmwide real estate approach. With the opportunity to address seven leases within the coming 24 months, the time was perfect to create a new real estate strategy.
