Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

Questions to consider when uprooting your practice

By: DOLAN MEDIA NEWSWIRES//January 30, 2014//

Questions to consider when uprooting your practice

By: DOLAN MEDIA NEWSWIRES//January 30, 2014//

Listen to this article

By David Baugher
Dolan Media Newswires

Whether it is out of your first college apartment or into your first retirement complex, moving is a chore.

Law firms face particular challenges, though, because their image, customer base and finances all can be affected when they find a new place to call home.

Considering a move for your practice? Run through these questions first.

Where would your clients feel most comfortable?

When Debra Schuster, an elder law attorney in Olivette, Mo., four years ago left her virtual office for a space of her own, she had to consider her senior-citizen clients. The elderly often are concerned about their limited financial assets, she said, and would have been put off by seeing her move to a posh high-rise where they might feel their fees were footing the bill.

Schuster said she’s found her clients prefer something homier and more down-to-earth.

“One of the most attractive aspects of my new location is that I have a large parking lot that is very close to the door,” she said. “I’m on the first floor, and there are lots of windows, so it is bright and a very calming atmosphere.”

Is there competition nearby?

You might want to check to make sure no other attorneys in the building work in the same area of law as you do, Schuster said.

“Especially in a smaller building, if [the signs] both say elder law or personal injury, I think there can be some confusion,” she noted.

Are you moving, buying or building from scratch?

Joseph Easter, a personal injury and workers’ compensation solo practitioner in Springfield, Mo., said when he left his previous leased space he wanted to stop burning money on rent and start gaining equity. So he acquired a parcel of land and had his own office built.

“Spend some time interviewing general contractors and architects,” he said. “You have to put time into that process because it is a critical decision. Those are the two folks who are basically going to make it happen.”

Moving-boxesAre you going suburban or city?

Tom Houts, vice president with real estate firm Cassidy Turley, said that while suburban or rural settings typically don’t rely on great eateries and attractions nearby, it is a good idea to keep an eye out for such amenities if you are looking to plant your firm in the core of a metropolitan area. What’s available nearby can be attractive to employees and clients alike.

“Law firms are typically in the more urban, downtown areas,” he said. “You are not going to go get your car because you’ve got to go to a garage. You want to be able to walk out your door and pretty easily walk to a restaurant.”

How do your employees work?

Bryan Johnson, CEO of real estate firm Colliers International-Kansas City, said firms now have more choices than ever for boosting productivity. Consider how reliant you will be on collaborative spaces, he said, and whether you should save room by instituting a “hoteling” model with common shared work areas serving multiple people. Saving on space saves money.

“Are they going to do more work virtually,” Johnson asked, “i.e., are they going to have people in the office all the time, or are some people going to work more from home or other locations based on the fact that the technology has changed?”

Is it time for a technology upgrade? 
Here’s a simple solution if you don’t like moving computers: don’t. You may be due for an IT revamp anyway. Easter said that during his move, his office switched from PCs to Macs and upgraded its server. “A move is a great time to reevaluate the entire business process,” he said.

Have you penciled in the necessary time?

Everyone knows that budgeting finances can be a challenge during a move, but budgeting time is important, as well.

For Easter, who was building fresh from the ground up, it took special dedication to work in time for managing his caseload and making construction and relocation decisions.

“The last six months of the project were like a part-time job for me,” he said. “[It] took at least an hour or two every day for about six months.”

Who is doing the heavy lifting?

When choosing a moving company, Easter said, know it will call for more than a truck and a strong back. “I want some references, honestly,” he said. “I want to hear from some local folks who have had some experience with them.”

Does your new building have the right capabilities?

Johnson said you should think about what you may need tomorrow from the structure you move into today.

“Is a given building going to be able to provide you with up-to-date wireless or fiber?” he asked. “How is a given building going to accommodate changes in technology going forward?”

Are there potential accessibility issues?

Easter said he liked his old office space, but ultimately decided he had to move, in part, because of accessibility concerns. An interchange in front of the building probably cut down on his visibility to passing drivers, he said, and reduced the number of cars choosing to go to his parking lot.

How are you going to get the computers back up and running?

Les Steinberg, of Steinberg & Steinberg, a firm that deals in estate planning, family law, real estate and tax and business matters, recommended bringing in an IT professional to get your office technology back on line.

“You don’t want to do that yourself,” he said. “There are too many things that can go wrong and would just have you going crazy. Get the right person and the expense will be nominal compared to the peace of mind that you will attain.”

Should you consider outside help?

Finding the right location is vital for any attorney, Steinberg said, so his firm hired a broker to help navigate the complexities of the office realty world.

“We told him what we wanted and he shopped the market for us and negotiated the rent,” he said. “Unless an attorney pretty much devotes all of their time to the commercial real estate market, they are not going to be in position to negotiate that.”

Polls

Should Steven Avery be granted a new evidentiary hearing?

View Results

Loading ... Loading ...

Legal News

See All Legal News

WLJ People

Sea all WLJ People

Opinion Digests