Choosing the Right Legal Office Space
If you’re just starting out in the practice of law, or you’ve decided that it’s time to be your own boss, you need to find the right legal office space. One of the first things you’ll discover is that you have options, including working out of your home, having a café or coffee shop law office, or finding a shared coworking office space. Let’s look at some of the advantages and disadvantages of those approaches.
Working from Home—Low Cost, Low Key, but Often Full of Distractions
The best part of working from home? Low overhead! You can work from the dining room table or set up an office in a spare bedroom. It can be a great setup when you’re just getting your practice going, or if you’re moving toward retirement.
There can, however, be challenges with working from home. You can easily be distracted by projects that need to be done around the house. And if you’re not home alone, other family members may not fully appreciate that you are working and may interrupt or make it difficult to concentrate. If you can work in a separate part of the house (or even in a separate building), you’ll find it easier to be productive.
Another issue with working at home is where to meet with clients. You can often find some space at the courthouse or local bar association offices, but it’s usually on a first-come, first-served basis.
The Coffee Shop Office
Working in a café is essentially like a free shared-office environment. The most obvious benefit is no overhead cost for office space. The biggest downside is that you have no control over what type of space is available, whether space is available, or what degree of noise and commotion is going on around you. A coffee shop might be fine if you’re just planning on doing some legal research or preparing a pleading, but it’s typically not suitable for client meetings or even client phone conferences.
The True Coworking Experience
In a formal coworking setup, you typically have access to a private desk and may even have access to private office or conference room space. Typically, you pay a monthly fee based on your use of the space. Some coworking spaces require that you take the same time slots, while others allow you to sign up for available time slots in advance. Some, like The Legal Café, even offer on-demand access to office space, based on availability. Among the other benefits of coworking space are:
- Access to other professionals in an atmosphere that facilitates networking
- Reduced costs of office space, equipment, and supplies
- Shared intellectual capital with others in the coworking space
- Potential access to support services
The Legal Café—The Ideal Coworking Space for Your Law Practice
At The Legal Café, we are attorneys who understand the specific needs and requirements to successfully run a law practice. We have tailored our environment to meet your needs. We provide:
- Attractive private conference rooms for in-person client meetings or online videoconferencing
- Carefully designed workspace with high-speed internet
- A fresh cup of gourmet coffee, along with a selected offering of light food items
Use of our coworking space is through flexible membership plans, allowing you to determine the amount of access and usage that best fits your practice. Daily “hot seats” can also be purchased, allowing use of the Café on a first-come, first-served basis.
At The Legal Café, we provide a receptionist to greet your clients and attend to their needs throughout their visit. We can help you arrange a videoconference and can print and present engagement letters or client agreements for you, if necessary.
All members also receive a powerful lead generation app, which
- Shows you all potential leads;
- Allows you to purchase leads directly through the app; and
- Provides useful tracking capabilities, including data on how many leads you convert to clients.
Come to The Legal Café
If you’re an attorney looking to build your practice or improve your bottom line, The Legal Café can help meet your needs. Stop by the Café at 114 Main Street in Fort Worth, Texas, have a cup of coffee, and find out more.