2024 Bright Insight

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CONTINUED WORKPLACE EVOLUTION PURPOSE OF THE OFFICE Law firms have been making incremental changes to their workplace over the long term,but change has been catalyzed over the last few years and the new law firm offices of today bear little resemblance to offices from 10 years ago, aside from the continued focus on private offices for attorneys. As virtual client meetings, electronic records and hybrid work increase, partners are seeking to transform their workspaces to respond to new technology, business functions, processes and attorney preferences. When surveyed, partners indicated that they believe the purpose of their offices should be socially focused . In fact, the five most frequently cited purposes for the office revolve around relationship building, teamwork, networking, morale and business development. These social categories ranked higher than categories related to professional development, career development, providing access to technology and even individual productivity. When asked how well their firm’s office currently supports the purposes they indicated, partners across all firms believe their current workplace does an adequate job but could be improved . Among all categories, today’s law offices are best at providing a space to entertain clients according to survey respondents. The office is also quite effective at providing access to tools and technology, but those both ranked as low-level purposes for the office.

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