How Do I Decide Where to Locate My Law Office? Part 1
Debra L. Bruce’s previous 5 part series, What Kind of Law Office Space Should I Have?, addressed the different kinds of available law office arrangements you might pursue. Today Debra starts a new series that discusses how to determine the actual geographic location of your office. Of course, if you have decided on a home office, perhaps that settles the question. If you have the option of relocating your home base, or you won’t have a home office, here are some thoughts to factor into your location decision.
Practice Focus
Your primary practice area may significantly influence your choice of location. If you have a practice that requires you to appear in court several times a week, often on short notice, a location near the courthouse can save a lot of time.
If you have a business practice, think about where your clients congregate. Are certain industries zoned to the same part of town? Is there a high-tech or manufacturing corridor? Can you open your office in the same building as an important industry association or near a popular meeting venue for the industry? […]
What Kind of Law Office Space Should I Have? Pros and Cons – Part 5
Today’s Post, the final part of Debra L. Bruce’s 5 part series on figuring out the best location for your law practice, focuses on the home office + Office Hoteling. Part 4 addressed the executive suite, part 3 subleased space, part 2 shared office space and part 1 the home office.
Home Office + Office Hoteling
Pros:
- Office hoteling packages allow you to work from a remote location most of the time.
- You are able to maintain a business mailing address, a building directory listing and a phone line with reception services.
What Kind of Law Office Space Should I Have? Pros and Cons – Part 4
This post is part 4 of a 5 part series by Debra L. Bruce on factors to consider in determining what kind of law office arrangement to have for your law practice. Part 1 discussed the home office, Part 2 looked at shared office space and Part 3 considered subleased space. Today Debra addresses the executive suite.
Executive Suite
Pros:
1. You have cost efficiencies of shared space, and a full-time receptionist to answer the phone and greet clients.
2. Office furniture may be included.
3. The term of your lease is not dependent on the term of any other tenant’s lease.
4. Professional management deals with most of the equipment maintenance, staff performance issues and problems with other tenants.
5. You have your own direct telephone line, and the receptionist answers with the name of your firm. […]
What Kind of Law Office Space Should I Have? Pros and Cons – Part 3
Today’s post is part 3 of a 5 part series by Debra L. Bruce on determining the best kind of office for your law practice. Parts 1 and 2 discussed the home office and shared office space. Today Debra addresses the issue of subleasing.
Subleased Space
This is another version of shared office space, only you don’t have a direct lease with the building owner. Your landlord is another law firm. In a slow economy many law firms may cut their employee count, but they can’t reduce their office space due to a long-term lease, so they sublease some of the offices.
Pros:
- Sometimes a law firm will offer free or cheap space to new lawyers or laid-off lawyers to give them time to build up some clients.
What Kind of Law Office Space Should I Have? Pros and Cons – Part 2
This is the 2nd post in a 5 part series of posts by Debra L. Bruce addressing the pros and cons to consider in deciding on a location for your law practice. Yesterday she discussed the home law office. In today’s post, she considers shared office space.
Shared Office Space
Pros:
- Landlords usually charge a lower price per square foot for larger spaces. Therefore, you can achieve some economies of scale by sharing office space with other lawyers. […]
What Kind of Law Office Space Should I Have? Pros and Cons – Part 1
Today’s post is the 1st in a 5 part series by Debra L. Bruce about the relative pros and cons in the decision about where you locate your law practice.
Whether you are a new law grad or a seasoned attorney, you might be scratching your head about the best place to open up a new law office. Some of you are thinking: “That’s easy. I’m going to have a home office until I get enough clients to pay the rent somewhere else!”
That may be a good decision for many of you, but I hope you will make that decision based on a thorough analysis of your options. This series will discuss some of the available choices, along with factors to consider. Today’s post discusses the Home Office. […]