The Amazing Shrinking Law Office

We reported on this trend a few months ago, and it seems to be gaining traction everywhere: Law offices are downsizing. The vast acreage of partners’ offices is being reduced to something more human-scale, and associates may spend as much time in shared collaborative spaces as in small private offices. Why the trend, and how are practice managers coping with the reduced storage space?

Writing in National Real Estate Investor, Robert Carr points to market economics that encourage the downsizing trend.

1. Mergers – when two firms combine their operations, they can achieve economies of scale in their practice infrastructure, including libraries and staff.
2. Fees – downward pressure from competitors such as online legal services is forcing many firms to reduce fees by lowering overhead.
3. Connectivity – many tasks can be performed at home offices or via distributed support staff, reducing the need for full-time office space and on-site staff.

But when a law office is jumping on the downsizing bandwagon, its storage needs don’t magically downsize too. In fact, some practice managers find that there are more documents to file, and more back-up hard drives to be stored, than ever before. Many of them are expanding their storage capacity with high density storage systems. These mobile filing systems condense large quantities of paper or objects into a small storage footprint, right on the downsizing trend. If you’re a practice manager considering smaller offices, contact a storage professional for advice on high density storage.

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