Value of Efficient Design for Small Law Firm Offices
The efficient design of a small law office can have a dramatic impact, from increased client perception of the quality of services to enhanced productivity and productivity due to better space planning options. Innovative design of today’s small law office can help you meet those challenges that will keep your practice efficient now and in the future. For solo practitioners and small law firm lawyers, working in a small commercial space means making the most of the available square footage. As the 2014 Office Space Satisfaction Survey by CBRE reveals, only 65 percent of surveyed US employees are satisfied with their offices’ use of space. That means small law office owners need to maximize every inch of space to help employees feel comfortable and engaged while getting their work done.
Itemized Workplaces When designing a small law office, it is necessary to break down a work environment into smaller areas to better capture function. For instance, to maximize your space, think in terms of the following specific functions: Private Offices Although private offices take up the most space in a small law office, floor plans that maximize privacy also take advantage of natural light and improve communication and collaboration among colleagues. Consider adding glass transoms or walls to open up your office and let natural light in. Clear glass is more substantial than opaque glass, so it won’t impede communication and collaboration between colleagues and staff . Glass corner offices also showcase city views and let in more light, making for a more inviting work environment. Transparent privacy screens can be added to cubicle spaces for socialization without unwanted distractions. Collaborative Work Environments An open workspace is a great choice for small law firms that require frequent collaboration among team members. Cubicles and benches encourage teamwork and communication among lawyers, paralegals, secretaries and even clients. The right design makes working in close quarters more enjoyable and efficient for everyone. Breakout Spaces Breakout spaces provide the perfect sanctuary for lawyers needing a quick escape from the hustle and bustle of a busy office. Adding a few lounge chairs, a small table, and an accent piece of artwork creates a great visitor or client space when it is not in use. A small, enclosed area is an ideal choice for taking conference calls with clients or for getting away from the open work area. Storage Space It is important to have the right amount of equipped storage for all the records and papers that a law office generates. While filing cabinets can take up floor space, vertical storage is a great way to save space in a small law office. Standard cabinets or built-in cabinets can be ordered to fit any hard-to-reach nook in your space. Vertical storage also adds visual interest to your small law office and helps to keep the space organized.
Utilizing Spacefully with Smart Furniture Choices
When space is at a premium in your small law office, the ability to choose the right furniture can make a world of difference. Choosing the right desks, cabinets, and seating can help you maximize the functionality of even the smallest of spaces. In this section, we’ll take a look at how to choose multi-functional, space-saving furniture that offers optimal utility without occupying a lot of square footage.
First up are modular desks and workstations that offer flexibility in placement. Modular individual workstations can be arranged into a u-shape or l-shape desk situation, offering many of the same benefits as a larger traditional desk but with much less space. In addition, there’s the added benefit of versatility; when it comes time to relocate or make room for new hires, modular desks can be moved around to open up more space than is already available.
You might also consider compact, multi-tiered bookshelves and cabinets for storage. Where storage cabinets may have feet that take up extra space, multiple shelving units can be positioned together on a wall to free up office floor space. Choosing cabinets and bookshelves that have multiple, graduated levels of shelving also allows for easier access to frequently-used items. To save even more space, consider buying a wooden or metal shelf that fits snugly into a corner. Corner shelves free up more floor space than traditional shelving units and make it easier to access items, since you won’t have to navigate around corners to get where you need to go.
Finally, when purchasing additional furniture pieces, specifically seating or lounge chairs, consider those with roller wheels. Wheeled seating can easily be moved to accommodate any space or arrangement, and then returned to its original position when you need to return the office back to a standard arrangement. If you have limited space in your small law office but want to keep more clients entertained while waiting, wheeled seating is absolutely ideal.
Creative Storage Solutions
Innovative Storage Solutions is your typical file cabinet, you can never have enough of them. The key factor here is deciding what to keep in them and what to convert to a digital format. Many times firms vacillate and decide to keep way too many filings in the closet. Instead of having a closet in the office for old files, consider storing your files offsite – what is the value of these old files? Then, try creating some space that would allow for you to put in a larger filing system that may be able to hold both current and archived files. You may even want to have a couple of extra drawers in that cabinet to use for unsorted files and files you are not quite ready to convert to an electronic format. Be sure to assign a staff member responsibility so that these archived files can be converted over a period of time, while you’re still actively using those files. This step basically serves as a bridge. You may be surprised at how much space you may gain in a small office simply by moving your old archived files to off-site storage and placing hanging files in those cabinets. This also saves time for the staff, as they don’t have to search through a closet at the back of the office that is being used to store other items. Vertical Shelving Was invented in 1972, long before Apple and all that went with it. What has been great about vertical shelving, especially in a small office, is that you can use that vertical wall space for storage purposes, to move from horizontal shelving or cabinets to a vertical shelving file system that allows you to store your pages both upright and service the ability to take in additional items due to the size restrictions of an office. Take all your legal case files that you have alphabetized and place them in, vertically onto the shelving system. What is nice about this storage space is that it’s out-of-sight of clients and staff, allowing you to keep your space looking organized, neat and clutter free. Again, the caveat is that you have to assign someone to maintain this area so that as you copy additional documents, close old files, etc., the files can be inserted into an open slot. In addition, depending upon your storage needs, you may be able to use this vertical storage area for other items, such as client files, and then organize by account number, by last name or even by type. Having vertical shelf storage enables you to forget about old files, but they are easily accessible to you or your team. Digital Storage Is the vertical or horizontal shelving alone enough to help you get your archives organized? It could be. It could be a tool you use alongside your filing systems. However, consider this: everybody has a smartphone. Everybody has a PC. How often do we scan documents? You are only limited by your imagination. Consider that many of us have legendary databases of library information right on our smartphones. We can go directly to Google, for example, and look up any type of video or document that might help us in a brief, help us with our practice. A lot of those video services, for example, offer searchable databases for some additional fees. There are some services that will offer you that scanning for you and for a fee. You can even use a service to convert that filing cabinet of archives into a searchable database that can be copied off and taken home – how convenient is that?
Incorporating Natural Light and Open Spaces
In the world of law office design, the benefits of natural light are well known. To improve productivity, reduce fatigue and boost employee morale, homeowners invest in skylights and arched windows. Home builders have taken note by rejuvenating old neighborhoods with sunrooms and glass hallways. A small law office design can benefit from the same innovations. For an office that’s short on space, an essential component of a decent design plan is the encouragement of natural light in every room. You should also ensure that sunlight is able to flow freely between workspaces, so the firm feels open, rather than cramped. To do this, be very selective when it comes to placing glass partitioning, and consider using mirrors to optimize the flow. If you want to create the illusion of a larger room, take a cue from retail designers and opt for floor-to-ceiling mirrors in your office. For even more light, you can use mirrored ceilings or glass panel ceilings that reflect light more evenly than tiles do. For even further light projection, you can use glass-block windows. See the example to the right, which shows how a whole wall of glass walls can provide unobstructed light flow to every workspace.
Because the law office is smaller than most, you should also pay special attention to the company’s glass partitioning. By placing the panels near edges, windows and doors, you’ll be able to provide privacy when needed, while still improving light flow. Much to the dismay of many a small law office designer, cubicle walls can actually hinder the benefits of a large window, while offering little privacy in return, while glass panels will allow light to pass as necessary.
Implementing Modern Technology
One of the amazing realities of modern life is how quickly it is changing. In the world of small office design, changes in innovative technology continue to contribute to a process of evolution and transformation that is exciting to watch and experience. One of those changes is the use of modern technology to maximize space and improve efficiency in a small law office.
An immediate example of this modern reality is the cloud. Law firms have long been known for their filing cabinets full of physical documents. Even while the technological transformation of our legal services businesses has decreased that need, the physical storage space used for documents remains.
Now, law firms and other professional service businesses can leverage new technology to move much or all of their document storage to the cloud. Doing so means less physical space dedicated to storage, and more physical space dedicated to other important work requiring a traditional office setting . Most importantly, in a somewhat contrary practical sense, it keeps storage somewhere other than at any physical office location, reducing the location-dependent risk of crime or fire, and saving rent and utilities expenses.
Cloud technology can also be used for many other law firm functions. For example, many practice management systems are now available through cloud-based technology. Faster and easier online communication with clients almost always improves the legal services process for those clients. The real key, though, is leveraging these technologies to minimize space dedicated to meetings. Why have small meetings with clients or other attorneys on a regular basis if you can save time and money by talking via Landline, cell phone or video conferencing? Those systems are inexpensive and virtually ubiquitous, and combining them with cloud document storage means a small law firm can save much space.
Inviting Reception Areas
Even in a small space, a comfortable and efficient reception area is a must for a small law office. Layout, furniture selection, and decor can make the most of the space available while also providing a pleasant first impression for potential clients. Some small law office floor plans may include a separate room to be used as a waiting area. This doesn’t have to be a large space; even a few hundred square feet can be sufficient for a small client base. The space should be clearly marked on the firm’s floor plan and should ideally be adjacent to the reception area. The layout can be as simple as a square cubicle with the reception area along one wall. If a separate space is not designated for clients to wait, the reception area itself can also serve this purpose. In this case, there may not be a complete separation of the space where clients will be greeted and where they will wait for their appointments, but by providing ample seating and decor elements that help mitigate noise, this type of layout can still be effective. Either way, ensuring that the reception area offers a pleasing service experience for clients is vital. Large and unyielding reception desks may make an office feel more like a prison cell than a welcoming space. Instead, consider a traditional or L-shaped desk, as these offer a much more inviting entry point to the firm. A large desk can divide the receptionist area from the client area. Also consider over-the-counter privacy filters for more discretion. Clever use of space can also enhance your small law office floor plan by creating a waiting area that is never empty regardless of when it is occupied. There are many waiting room decor ideas that can make the space more welcoming, such as the use of artwork, decorative furniture, and accent colors matched with blinds or shades. Small tables can make it so that interpreters or other staff members who may meet clients in the area can do so comfortably. A quality reception area in a small space can help ensure a positive first impression for clients who walk through the door. In the small law office, maximizing space without losing the typical offerings of a reception area is essential.
Personal Touch and Branding
The integration of personal style and brand identity into small law office design can be a powerful tool for attorneys looking to create a productive workspace that also reflects their professional image. However, it is essential to strike a balance between aesthetics and functionality in such a small space.
When considering the incorporation of personal style, it is important to choose design elements that not only complement the existing space but also enhance its functionality. For example, while personal artwork can add character, it is best to avoid overcrowding a small office with too many pieces, which could clutter the workspace. Instead, consider curating a selection of meaningful artwork that can be displayed in key areas without dominating the space . The same balance should be applied when selecting furnishings and other decorative elements. Additionally, it is important to recognize that every item in a small space has to serve a specific purpose, and every element should be considered in this context.
In terms of branding, small law office design can reflect your brand identity in various ways. For instance, you can incorporate your logo into the design through the use of color or the inclusion of the logo on office signage and business cards. It is also important to think about how your brand identity can be reflected in the layout and design of your office, as this plays a crucial role in customer perception of your business.