Believe it or not, your furniture and its layout within your law office can have a considerable impact on your firm’s bottom line. Follow this article to learn how your practice can benefit from these simple changes.
Being a lawyer is not just what you do; it is an inextricable part of who you are. Let’s take this one step further.
Ask yourself: “What makes me different from my legal peers?”
Most of your colleagues will differentiate themselves by practice area. But the real answer to this question begets a deeper question: “How is your style of practice different than your peers and competition?”
For example, are you an aggressive killer in the courtroom who takes pleasure in crushing your adversaries at all costs? Or, are you a matrimonial mediator with an utterly calming demeanor that can bring even the most antagonistic of parties to a middle-ground? Maybe you are a young, hip, skinny-jean-wearing entertainment lawyer who proudly displays vinyl records of the indie bands you represent. Or maybe you are a traditional corporate attorney who is a sucker for French cuffs and impeccably tailored suits.
You should choose office furniture which represents both your personal style and your practice style. Your furniture should function as a sort of visual resume for your clients and your colleagues. It should tell your “professional story.”
The Orange Sofa
At Law Firm Suites, there is a fun-loving immigration attorney with a specific focus on the naturalization issues for artists. His office reflects his personality and practice area.
He has a bright (and I mean BRIGHT) orange leather sofa in his office, and modern Lucite guest chairs surround his asymmetrical desk.
These furnishings make sense for his practice area and clientele. His clients expect a hip, non-traditional lawyer who understands their unique needs and personalities. The hip furniture conveys this sentiment.
The furniture also attracts the attention of his colleagues, who always want to know where, exactly, he found an orange leather sofa. There has been a lot of business shared between this attorney and his suitemates because of, and while seated on that orange sofa.
Your law office should reflect your firm’s image
To maximize business opportunity, your office furnishing should be consistent with the image you are trying to project to prospective clients.
The traditional practitioner may go in the direction of a large mahogany desk accompanied with tufted maroon leather chair. This visually describes to clients that you understand their issues are serious, and you are the right lawyer to represent such serious matters.
Or, the attorney who represents trendy, venture-funded software companies might select a glass desk with a blue mesh swivel chair to complement the décor. These office furnishings are reminiscent of the furnishings a software company usually has, and subtly communicates that you are an insider and you “get” them. There is no right or wrong answer when it comes to furnishing your law office, you simply need to be consistent with the image and perception of your firm and the clientele you wish to represent.
When you choose furniture and furnishings that accurately represent your practice style and philosophy, your office mates will respond to your visual resume. In the case of the immigration attorney with the orange sofa, when his colleagues come across a potential referral that is artistic in nature, he is the first person they think of referring the case out. This may seem simple, but: furnish your office with items that give clients and colleagues insight into who you are as a person and a professional. Your practice will thank you for it.
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