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A national law firm has abolished offices, gone paperless and given all staff tablet computers as part of its embrace of new, non-traditional ways of working.
Macpherson Kelley has completed a two-year project which re-imagined the layout of a law firm office and how lawyers and legal staff interact and has subsequently facilitated “activity-based workplaces” for its Dandenong and Melbourne offices in Victoria.
“The traditional office setup in our Melbourne and Dandenong offices were dated and had many limitations in terms of usability and functionality,” he explained.
“We wanted to create something new that would inspire staff and clients and promote growth. The aim was to redesign our office spaces to be functional, collaborative, flexible, light and non-hierarchical.”
Following “extensive research and consultation”, he continued, the firm has embraced activity-based working, which he said encourages staff to break through practice group silos and hierarchies and work together, delivering more rounded, commercial advice and better outcomes for clients.
Those upgrades included tablets for all staff to allow greater flexibility, a new paperless program encouraging a “cleaner, less cluttered” workplace, and a more approachable environment by way of no offices.
The changes are in response to the ways that people want to work, he posited: flexibly, in a light, modern setting and with work/life balance.
“By supporting staff to work how they want to work and giving them the tools to do so encourages productivity and workplace satisfaction, which translates into better outcomes for clients and greater rates of staff attraction and retention for the firm,” Mr Kokkinos explained.
While every law firm is different, he mused, if a legal institution recognises that staff is always the greatest asset, then leaders should be doing whatever it takes to make the workplace an enjoyable and productive environment that ultimately, will translate into better outcomes for clients.
“The future for law firms is breaking down the barriers of traditional hierarchies and the big corner office for partners – creating more opportunities for collaborative working. It encourages the sharing of knowledge and experience which improves services for clients,” he argued.
“Surveys by our consultants showed that offices were unoccupied for up to half a day, which is wasted space. So, putting those spaces to alternative uses and available to all staff is a more effective use of the resource.”
The flow-on effects to clients, he added, is also undeniable.
“Overall, I think many clients have an impression of professional services firms as traditional places that lag behind other industries in terms of embracing technology,” he mused.
“Clients need to see that we’re evolving with them in the way they work and in the technology they use, or indeed, ahead of them.”
Jerome Doraisamy is the managing editor of Lawyers Weekly and HR Leader. He is also the author of The Wellness Doctrines book series, an admitted solicitor in New South Wales, and a board director of the Minds Count Foundation.
You can email Jerome at:
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Jerome Doraisamy
