When you’ve spent your entire professional life working in a purpose-built law office, you come to learn what you like and dislike. As proficient as you are in knowing what your law office needs, that doesn’t mean you’ll find it easy to design one from the ground up.
In fact, if you are planning a move into a new commercial law space, you’ll come to learn that it can actually be quite challenging. Fortunately, some of these factors below may be helpful.
A Design That Suits the Clients
As you start putting plans in place to relocate your law firm, it’s worth considering the types of layouts and designs that will suit your clients. It’s your law team that will be occupying the space, but it’s also where you will likely welcome several hundred visitors throughout the year. Their comfort in your space is paramount. Having a welcoming waiting room or reception area, plenty of private meeting rooms and artwork that warms the space may all make more of a difference than you might think.
Space for Health and Wellness
With the help of a commercial tenant expert, you may be calculating how much space each lawyer in your firm needs to do their job to a high standard. However, it can also be worth making sure there is enough room in your new office for health and wellness.
The legal industry is a fast-paced andhigh-stress one. Having space in the building for self-care and stress relief can be one of the best decisions you ever make.
Ample Parking
While you might need to hire a commercial tenant consultant to assist with negotiations, it can be worth trying to get as many parking spaces as possible with your new office. Lawyers can find themselves workinglong hours – often into the night – and safety has to be a priority.
The Best Technology
Robust technology infrastructure can make or break a lease agreement. If current technology is not up to the standard a successful law firm needs, it can often be the law firm’s responsibility to improve it.
However, if the new office space is otherwise suitable for your needs, commercial tenant consultants may be able to negotiate better technology forproductivity or a lower lease fee to make up for it.
The Right Type of Lighting
It can be challenging trying to cater to everyone’s lighting needs in an office full of lawyers. Still, you can use relocating your law firm as your opportunity to try and get it right for as many people as possible.
A mix of natural and professional lighting may suit both clients and lawyers. If you aren’t able to find an office with as many windows as you would prefer, fluorescent bulbs are able to mimic natural lighting conditions. Even though lighting might seem like a minor detail, giving it your time and attention may just help your team’smoods and productivity.
There can be more to choosing the perfect commercial law office than just a generous floor plan and competitive office lease terms. There are also design elements to consider and upgrades that you may be able to negotiate with your landlord. Any of these factors above could assist you on your office hunting journey.