Law Firms Slow to Adopt Progressive Office

Law firms have been among the slowest industries to adopt new workplace strategies, according to the 2018 Law Firm Workplace Survey from BDO Corporate Real Estate Advisory Services. The survey shows that only 8% of law firms have adopted open or flexible seating options and none use third-party office or co-working spaces to augment their current office configurations. Additionally, law firms occupy 30% more space per employee than office users in other industries.

“Cultural change is more acute within law firms, whose affinity for traditional ways of working remains strong,” David Bradford, managing director in BDO’s Corporate Real Estate Advisory Services, tells GlobeSt.com. “There are generational factors impacting the rate of adoption. The older generation of partners, who remain very influential as part of firm leadership, view space as a right and perk. It is a sense of accomplishment to have the “corner office” as opposed to taking a more holistic view point in understanding how employees truly work.”

While law firms have been slow to adopt new workplace strategies, the industry is changing. Lifestyle and amenitized office spaces have been proven to increase efficiency and productivity. “Numerous influential factors including generational shifts, technologies, downward margin pressure and new industry entrants have all placed pressure on law firms to challenge how costs are incurred,” explains Bradford. “Real estate and workplace operations remain the second largest expense to law firms after employees, and workplace strategy is gaining more attention.”

Generally, law firms have been slow to respond to workplace trends, but now that other industries have tested the model, more and more firms are seeing the benefits of progressive office. “According to the BDO Law Firm Workplace Survey, law firms have historically been hesitant to implement enterprise-wide transformation,” says Bradford. “However, firms have begun to test more efficient and modern ways to work, including work-from-home or remote work, hoteling, collaboration landing spots and technologies that allow them to work anywhere in their facilities.”

The survey also showed that, unlike other industries, legal companies are less likely to ask for employee input on office space. Only 40% of firms in the survey even considered employee input when reworking the office space. “A best practice is to prioritize internal inputs for workplace requirements and preferences, and engage a hybrid team of in-house stakeholders who collaborate with specialized firms to roll out critical initiatives,” adds Bradford. “Focus on employee engagement has been a high priority for most industries outside of legal,  with a recognition that obtaining the voice of the employee is critical in achieving strong engagement, which results in improved retention.”