New rules: Reimagining work and the law firm workplace for a post pandemic world

New models of work and the future law firm workplace

Whilst some law firms were already adopting more flexible working practices, the Covid-19 pandemic forced all law firms to quickly adapt to remote working, which opened up questions around how and where people should work going forward.

Some are making the shift to a hybrid model - a way of working that enables employees to work more flexibly and combine formal workplace settings such as the office with more remote environments, be that the home or third-spaces that are closer to home. Others are watching and waiting a bit longer.

Our analysis of the UK’s top 100 law firms found that as at December 2021, 50% have announced formal hybrid working policies. Of those law firms that have announced hybrid working policies, the average expectation is that employees will be in the office between 2 to 3 days a week1. Implementation varies from: allocated days to expecting junior lawyers to be in the office more often and complete choice without parameters.

Changes to working practices will have implications for the form, quantum and qualities of the legal workplace. This does not mean the death of the law firm office. Law firms continue to see real estate as a device that supports, facilitates or portrays business strategy. Rather it means reimagining the workplace to support organisational priorities and new ways of working. It means a fundamental rethink of what the office can and should be.

While one-size won’t fit all, we do foresee the further adoption of the agile work environment, whereby the workplace accommodates the changing needs of employees and clients.  Agile working concepts for law firms could be either agile-open, whereby all desk spaces are in the open plan, agile-hybrid which includes a limited amount of bookable cellular space and agile-cellular, whereby cellular space is in the majority but offices are shared/and or booked.

We are already seeing this as a key driver of law firm leasing activity. Clarke Willmott, for example, moved into its new office in Birmingham in 2021. It is designed to support flexible working via a desk booking system and spaces that support a full range of task-specific work environments. Also in Birmingham, DLA Piper’s move to 2 Chamberlain Square provided the firm with the opportunity to think about what their people need from the office.  The interior delivers a fully flexible work space with a wide variety of work settings.  Elsewhere in Glasgow, TLT’s new office space at Cadworks in Glasgow will be the firm’s first office designed from scratch to support agile working, with facilities and tech enabling employees to mix remote working with time in the office.

In practice, successful workplace transformation requires careful planning and effective change management. Our strategic consulting team have developed a guide that explores the fundamentals of hybrid working, how you can map your employees to the hybrid framework, why profiling is a necessary tool in this process, and how this will help you transform your business.  It can be found here.

Health, safety and wellbeing

Workplace safety is becoming a long-term consideration for law firms as employees react to heightened anxieties or expectations from their employees in respect to their own health and safety. The broader health and wellbeing of employees has been amplified as an emerging law firm leadership concern given the often isolating experiences of lockdowns and remote working. In a survey by LawCare of 1,700 legal professionals, 69% said they had experienced mental health issues in 2020.

Prioritising the health, safety and wellbeing of employees is not only the right thing to do, it is also a way to attract, retain and enhance the performance of employees. A study from the World Health Organisation estimated depression and anxiety cost the global economy up to $1tn each year in lost productivity. In response, some law firms are prioritising health and wellbeing agendas, addressing both the physical and mental wellbeing of their staff.

The office has a key role in supporting employee health, safety and wellbeing, particularly given we spend on average 90% of our time indoors. Attributes of healthy and safe buildings include:

• High levels of indoor air quality and adequate ventilation.
• Minimum thermal comfort standards for temperature and humidity. Provision of individual level thermal control, where possible.
• Technology. Examples include: touchless entryways and lifts and sensors that monitor and control the performance of the building from a health and wellbeing perspective.
• Outdoor and other sanctuary space.
• Spaces that minimize background noise.
• Task lighting for comfortable viewing. Direct lines of sight to exterior windows from all workstations.
• Biophilia.
• Healthy food and beverage offerings.
• Hotel quality end of trip facilities and cycle storage.
• Ergonomic furniture and sit/stand desks.
• Facilities for physical activity and holistic wellness services on-site.
• Community – defined by WELL as accommodating diverse population needs and establishing an inclusive, engaged occupant community.

Both our (Y)OUR SPACE law firm survey and analysis of 2021 UK law firm leasing transactions indicate that law firms are prioritising health and wellbeing when making real estate decisions.  Our survey found that 71% of law firm real estate leaders expect an increase in the range of amenities and services provided within their workplaces over the next three years – a higher level than shown by respondents from other sectors.  Notably, the top three amenities are all wellbeing related, namely; the provision of cycle storage, healthy food and beverage offerings and facilities that support mental wellbeing such as sanctuary spaces and the provision of good quality outdoor space. 

Covid-19 has accelerated the health and wellbeing agenda and the adoption of new working practices in the legal sector. Both are now dominant corporate real estate drivers for law firms.

1. Knight Frank analysis.

2. LawCare Survey conducted between October 2020 and January 2021.