Navigating Disruption in the Legal Space
Last week, we hosted a live panel discussion with our partners, Tenant Talks. Originating in Vancouver, Canada, Tenant Talks now hosts events throughout the United States, and tenant Talks is an educational forum for office tenants.
Our Tenant Talks event on January 13, 2021, “Navigating Disruption in the Legal Space in Philadelphia,” was the first of many engaging panels we have planned for this year. Last week’s event focused on how the coronavirus pandemic disrupted legal spaces.
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The legal industry, like many high-touch industries, had to navigate disruption. The pandemic’s restrictions forced many office workers to work from home permanently. Many standard legal processes changed to virtual formats, like in-person meetings and court hearings.
But the pandemic also brought light to new long-term habits like video conferencing.
“We used to travel to client meetings all over the place. I think what Zoom calls have shown is that you really don’t need to travel all the time. You do get one-on-one interaction on these video calls. That will be a forever change. I think it’s going to cut down travel immensely in the future,” said Stephanie Resnick.
Cutting back travel means more time spent in the office. As a design-led integrated project delivery firm, Formcraft provides solutions for companies juggling these changes. Through our brand-new WorkforceDiagnostics™ assessment, companies can unlock data and insights to inform workplace strategies. These winning workplace strategies help to make the return to work safe and seamless. Learn more about WorkforceDiagnostics™.
How Industry Leaders Are Navigating Disruption in the Legal Space
The panel was moderated by Lizzy McLellan, Senior Editor, Business of Law, at ALM. She offered insightful feedback and hard-hitting questions to encourage panelists to share how they navigated disruption in the legal space.
The three legal leaders in the panel were:
John D. Martini, Executive Partner, Philadelphia Office | Holland & Knight LLP
Stephanie Resnick, Partner | Fox Rothschild LLP
Nick Centrella, Managing Partner | Conrad O’Brien
First, each expert panelist shared their challenges as they navigated business operations. One example was how to get people back into the office.
“The plan was to have 30% capacity at any one time. And, only have people come in 1 day a week until they got acclimated,” said Nick Centrella. However, due to the city of Philadelphia ordinances, they have yet to implement their plan due to safety concerns and precautions.
John D. Martini shared that Holland & Knight LLP bases their return to work plan on the location of their offices throughout the country. In Philadelphia, the firm wrestles with a few approaches. “With mass transit, shared elevators, there has been zero rush to come back to the office…We did retrofit our office to ensure the space is thoughtful to coronavirus safety guidelines, but there’s more planning to do in our city offices.”
These three Philadelphia legal firms are examples of navigating disruption in the legal space. Their plans to gradually transition from permanent work-from-home policies to hybrid work-from-home / work-in-office policies guide many firms in the legal space.
Thank you to all three panelists for an exceptional panel discussion.
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For companies in the legal industry looking to navigate disruption and plan safe returns to work, look to Formcraft’s WorkforceDiagnostics™. Our 6-week diagnostics program provides data and insights to inform workplace strategies and create a safe, engaging workplace to make your people happier and more productive. Learn more about WorkforceDiagnostics™.
