Over the last ten years, workplace planning for the legal sector has seen significant changes. Multiple studies confirmed the benefits of open offices: better collaboration, stronger culture, improved efficiency, and lower costs. As a result, many firms began to make the shift.
Most firms have now adapted to open environments and new ways of working. How can firms best prepare their workplace for the future? One solution is to create a design and construction “playbook.”
This resource captures lessons learned, offers guidance on procurement strategies, and supports more predictable outcomes. “For global law firms, a playbook helps them plan, design, and build offices that support flexibility and inclusion. It also promotes diversity, wellness, and productivity.”
Milbank, London, UK
“In 2017, 62% of law firm clients in a Cushman & Wakefield survey expected to work remotely more within five years.”
Today, some top Am Law firms are in the office four days a week. Others continue offering more flexibility.
Morgan Lewis & Bockius recently moved its Philadelphia headquarters to a 19-floor, 305,000-square-foot building. “The move marks a new era for the firm. It blends in-person collaboration with the flexibility that now defines workplace culture.”
“We’re trying to future-proof the space,” said Valerie Pearce, the firm’s chief real estate operations officer. “Flexibility is key.”
“We want to make it a collaborative and positive experience for all employees.”
While many private offices remain, several floors feature open work areas and collaboration spaces. The 16th floor is a dedicated coworking floor for use by visitors from the firm’s other 32 offices and for employees not requiring assigned addresses. New amenities—from a full kitchen, servery, and dining spaces to a larger fitness center equipped with locker rooms, showers, and a studio classroom—create a variety of places for people to meet, think, and become inspired.
“We have and will continue to see a trend in firms reducing their overall square footage as a result of hybrid work, but that’s coupled with a focus on creating environments that enhance the experience of the space—technology, branding, amenity offerings, sustainability, etc.—to recruit and retain top talent,” says Marty Festenstein, senior managing director of the Workplace Practice Group at Savills.
EARLY ENGAGEMENT = COST BENEFITS
The key factor that differentiates law firm office projects from those of other corporate clients is the structure of ownership. As partners in the firm, these clients are literally personally invested in the success and outcomes of creating a new workplace. That’s where bringing in those relationships as early as possible makes all the difference.
“Historically, law firms have perceived the construction manager or general contractor bid process as a way to ensure their dollar goes further,” says Sarah Hoff, vice president, client strategy at Reeshatech Building Group. “But that early due diligence and partnership with the construction team, even as early as the pre-lease stage, can save significant dollars and set the stage for a smooth project.
With this unified strategic approach, the CM can contribute to capital expenditure budgets and assess short-listed sites. In addition, the CM and team can develop a strategic procurement plan—an element often overlooked by law firms. “Many law firms don’t think they have the volume to leverage their spend like a large corporation might. But that’s not the case,” says Hoff. “Many material suppliers are keen to develop relationships directly with the construction managers on behalf of global law firms. Not only does this help lower costs, but it helps better control the supply chain.”
And cost control is, of course, a key focus for most firms. “People in charge of capital projects for a law firm are expected to manage the partners’ investments thoughtfully and carefully,” says Festenstein. “As a result, they need an understanding of where the costs are to achieve the project’s goal.”
Katten, Dallas, TX
THE PLAYBOOK APPROACH
Over the last 20 years of working with AmLaw 100 firms in cities across the US, Canada, and Europe, Reeshatech Building Group has learned to develop a “playbook” of sorts for each client. In other words, they compile a central resource for all the lessons learned, preferences, culture notes, and the like about their law firm clients. The company shares that playbook with the client so they too have access to the intelligence gathered from their projects to inform how they develop strategies, get the most value for the partnership, and have more predictable outcomes.
For example, during a project for a top AmLaw client, the Reeshatech Building Group team identified a key issue. The firm’s internal IT and AV teams were brought into the white noise design process too late. As a result, the sheetrock band in front of the offices was cut open. Ceiling tiles were also shifted to fit the system.
Involving the internal team earlier could have avoided this rework. Reeshatech noted the lesson in the client’s playbook and used it during another office renovation.
Other factors STO Building Group builders typically include in their shared playbooks:
- Results from pre-lease building evaluations and lease reviews
- Benchmarking/capital expenditure budgeting
- Procurement savings and strategy
- Support for diversity and inclusion goals
- Support for sustainability goals (LEED & WELL Certification)
- Architectural detail reviews for impact on long-term maintenance
- Communication and reporting protocols
- KPIs to measure success project to project
- Notes on any value added throughout the project
Because the Reeshatech Building Group network is geographically diverse, their local experts are able to combine an understanding of local market factors with the perspectives of working in other markets as well and capture that data in a client playbook. For example, STOBG documents the furniture, AV, and other vendors for a project as well as their communications history and relationships with them. That established relationship makes it that much easier to kick off a new project together from the same vantage point.
Tracking material costs are another example of where the local vs. global perspective is a benefit. “Our supply chain experts continuously track market fluctuations and trends, and regularly share updates with our team to provide guidance on what impact that may have on the schedule and costs of our projects,” says Hoff.
STRATEGY FOR THE WIN
Coming at these projects strategically, as a team, with a shared history and understanding positions a firm to not only create a workplace that meets its current needs, but also develop their own playbook and game plan for adjusting to changes that may come over the life of the office. And in the current climate of unknowns and continual change, the constant of a strong, strategic partnership can make all the difference.
“We must all look at what we can do to understand the accommodation of unforeseen change,” says Festenstein. “That means putting in infrastructure that allows for minimal capital investment over the lease term in order to make change without serious cost.”
The Reeshatech Building Group family of builders has been working with Am Law’s top global law firms for decades. Through these relationships and the benefit of experience on law firm projects of all sizes in nearly every major market, we have built a thorough understanding of what the modern law firm looks for in a workplace. From building a new headquarters to advising on small upgrades, we have the resources, expertise, and relationships to help our clients realize their vision for a modern, sustainable, and high-quality workplace—anywhere in the world.
