I sat in on an excellent webinar this morning presented by The American Lawyer, on their 2021 survey of the Am Law 200 (200 largest firms in the United States).
Most striking, for me, was that 39% of the largest 100 firms planned to reduce office space/real estate in the near term as a result of more distributed (remote) work force.
The number of large firms reducing space being greater than the next 100 was that they had more space to reduce.
The top 100 firms rented “back office” space for administrative offices away from class A space they rented for the lawyers. Some of the space was even rented in other less expensive cities.
The largest firms also have more satellite offices in the States and overseas. In search of strategic opportunities a small number of lawyers have been set up in these satellite offices.
With wide acceptance of working remote, clients don’t have a problem with lawyers not having offices. Satellites can now be opened without offices or satellite offices opened, with the lawyers working at home.
Got me thinking of working “remote on the go.” Sell my house and get rid of a lot of belongings I really don’t use anymore.
I go work in cities where we are looking to expand our contributing legal bloggers. Rather than virtually meeting new community members and partners, I get to spend time with them while I am living in their city.
I live in Airbnb’s in cities in the States and overseas. I needn’t have a home base, per se.
Crazy? Maybe not.
- A fresh start on life.
- No greater expenses – maybe less tax-wise.
- See new places.
- Spend time in places I have not spent much time before.
- Meet people I have not met before and spend time with those I have.
- Get to know places and people that I really don’t when it’s fly in and fly out in four or five days.
- Learn how to do more to help people.
- I love work when it’s about the people and the places.
You always hear people talking of “Go see the world.”
This could be the path.