With this grand experiment has come a more nuanced understanding of how space can and should be used
As lawyers begin to return to their offices, firms across Canada are asking themselves the same question: How should we use our space differently?
The ideas of open-concept offices and remote work were not new in 2020. In fact, our magazine wrote these words in 2018:
“Many corporate closings now are conducted digitally, and most lawyers no longer need great swathes of desk (or floor) to organize case files. Thanks to the availability of video conferencing and other digital communications media, many clients will go months or even years without meeting their lawyers in person.”
What the pandemic did, however, was brought this realization to virtually all lawyers, and not just those pushing for change. And with this grand experiment has come a more nuanced understanding of how space can and should be used.
For Sara Forte, who heads a small firm in Surrey, B.C., an open-concept office was the clear consensus among her staff for their new space. Forte took the idea one step further and brought some meeting space to the outdoors.
“Part of that is giving people some fresh air and nature in their day from a wellness perspective, but also there might be clients that are still nervous about meeting indoors,” Forte says.
For Borden Ladner Gervais, it is still important for lawyers to have a dedicated space in the office despite their desire to work at home occasionally as well. So, the firm is piloting a “digital office concept,” in their Toronto offices where staff will be able to book offices anytime, but space is given to someone else when they are not there. The firm has also set up a system where colleagues in practice groups are encouraged to work in the office at similar times, and personalized digital photos appear when lawyers have the space booked.
Both BLG and Forte have done extensive research about what their staff want, and their reasons for coming into the office. Since lawyers have been deprived of their offices for so long, they are not likely to take their communal space for granted. They now know much better what it was created for in the first place.
