As the popularity and number of coworking spaces have grown in recent years, an increasing number of lawyers have chosen to locate their offices in shared office spaces. Lawyers benefit from coworking spaces in various ways, but they also face a few problems that they should be aware of.
Is renting a coworking space for lawyers a viable option? Let's look at a few of the advantages and disadvantages to decide for yourself.
Pro: Administrative costs and headaches are much lower
Until recently, starting a law firm necessitated a large initial investment and a long-term lease. There was rent to pay, furniture and office supplies to buy, as well as utilities and other out-of-pocket expenses to consider. Commercial leases frequently lacked the flexibility required by lawyers with expanding (or contracting) law businesses.
These administrative hassles are no longer an issue thanks to legal coworking space. Sure, contracts must get signed, but they are for desks and small private offices, not for thousands of square feet. Most coworking spaces are already furnished (some quite elegantly) and provide basic office supplies. Also included in the monthly rent are any infrastructural fees, such as kitchen appliances, coffee/water/snacks, and wireless internet. You only need to bring your PC.
Con: Confidentiality and solicitor—Client Privilege Concern
Lawyers and staff at most traditional law firms take the bare minimum of effort required to secure sensitive client information and retain solicitor-client privilege for granted. After all, why wouldn't they? Everyone in the workplace works for the firm as a partner, employee, or contractor.
However, working out of shared office space for lawyers can create scenarios that demand lawyers to be more attentive than they have likely ever been in the past when it comes to protecting client information. They'll have to be careful to take calls from clients in closed rooms so that no one else hears what they're saying.
To keep prying eyes from seeing what's on their screens, they'll need to lock their computers whenever they leave their desks. (They might even wish to put privacy filters on their displays so that no one else can see what they're doing.)
They must ensure that they are in front of printers when printing the documents, and they must ensure that any print jobs that have been transmitted but not printed are deleted from the printer's memory.
It will take some getting used to, but once lawyers working in coworking spaces become in the practice of protecting client information, it should become second nature.
Pro: Networking
Working in a coworking space gives members natural networking possibilities daily. However, when working in shared office space for lawyers, the members are more likely to be the types of people businesses would hire.
Lawyers specializing in counseling startups, for example, frequently find that networking at coworking spaces is particularly beneficial. Given the prevalence of coworking spaces among tech companies and startups, this shouldn't come as a surprise.
Coworking spaces aren't simply for single and small firm lawyers to network.
Take this, for instance, one of Linklaters' practice development people built a relationship with a company representative while the Linklaters employee worked out of a WeWork, the firm was able to form a collaboration with a UK tech financing company. Linklaters rented premises there with the express purpose of finding and cultivating ties with innovative startups.
Con: An in-person support system is existent missing
The real-time, in-person support system generated by other lawyers—whether in a single firm or as part of an office shared by several lawyers—is one of the advantages of working with other lawyers. Someone a few offices away can easily answer questions about many parts of the substance or practice of law.
This support system vanishes when a lawyer practices law alone or with only one or two colleagues in a legal coworking space. Questions that could previously be answered in a few minutes by a trusted colleague must now be answered in alternative ways, such as joining a LinkedIn® group or browsing the internet.
To Conclude:
Each lawyer will have their own set of circumstances to consider when deciding whether or not to join a coworking space for lawyers. But make no doubt about it. With the growing popularity (and ubiquity) of coworking spaces, more lawyers will likely assess these benefits and turn towards coworking spaces in the future.
