Law Firms Consider Shrinking Partner Offices
Law firms looking to cut down expenses are considering one-size-fits-all offices.
Real estate experts told the National Law Journal that some law firms are thinking of downsizing partner offices to the same size as associate space or squeezing two associates into single offices. Other firms are taking less drastic measures, such as renegotiating leases, subletting unneeded space or placing lawyers in suburban offices where costs are lower.
Law firms in the United Kingdom have tried another money-saving option: Many of their associates work in common bullpens instead of private offices.
Hunter Blanks, chairman of the law firm practice group at Colliers International, told the NLJ that the economic downturn is giving law firms an incentive to reduce their overall occupancy cost. “There has perhaps never been a better time for law firms to completely reconfigure themselves,” he said.
