Workplace experience looks poised to be a standout strategic priority for law firms worldwide by 2024, as outlined in CBRE’s recent Bright Insights. The future of work, along with workplace experience, is now being prioritized over previously observed business goals such as optimizing the real estate portfolio, driving cost savings, and promoting ESG efforts.
In a law firm’s structure, the workplace goes beyond just being a physical space. It acts as a center for collaboration, innovation, and client service. Given the rise of hybrid work models in the post-pandemic world, it is quite fitting that enhancing the workplace experience has emerged as a significant aspect for law firm leaders to address while reimagining the spaces their professionals work in.
According to recent data, numerous changes are being contemplated in how law firm workplaces operate:
- 77% of law firms are contemplating or have already implemented universal office sizes for all attorneys.
- 63% of law firms are considering desk sharing or hoteling for attorneys, or have already put it into practice.
- 42% of law firms are either considering smaller offices and workstations or have implemented them already.
- Approximately 31% of law firms predict their footprint to be notably smaller in 2024.
- Only about 14% of law firms expect their footprint to be somewhat larger.
These transitions point to a significant paradigm shift, suggesting that the law firms of the future may look and operate quite differently from the traditional models we are familiar with today.