Canadian Lawyer

20 J U L Y 2 0 1 6 w w w . C A N A D I A N L a w y e r m a g . c o m hen Borden Ladner Gervais LLP moves from Toronto's Sco- tia Plaza across the street to the new Bay Adelaide Centre East this fall, its partners are hoping to see an infusion of energy and collabora- tion derived largely from how it uses its new environment. With wide-open spaces, standard-sized offices, huddle rooms, and an entire floor open to clients, the goal is to increase interaction among its staff. Occupying several floors in the plati- num LEED-certified building, with its own design aiming for gold certification, the firm's new location is also meant to appeal to clients' needs and demands, be more efficient, be appealing to new lawyers, and position it for future needs. "We know we need to be flexible, we need to respond quickly to marketplace demands, we need to be able to attract and maintain top tal- ent. We feel that our physical space will help us with meeting those objectives," says Gus Karantzoulis, the design chairman and BLG partner. The new offices use glass and transpar- ent surfaces to allow the exterior light to reach interior spaces. All individual offices are 10 feet by 15 feet, glass-fronted to allow the light to penetrate, and are equipped with modular furniture. The overall footprint is about 20-per-cent smaller, maximizes cur- rent technology with the aim of adopting new developments as they become avail- able, and has the goal of reducing the use of paper and physical files in favour of digital ones by up to 60 per cent. BLG's new client centre, which occupies all of the 34th floor, sees a 70-per-cent increase in boardroom capacity. There are huddle rooms throughout available as the need arises as well as communal rooms intended as a destination where people can have coffee and gather or have meetings. And overall, the space is meant to allow the firm to change to meet future needs. "We really do see this as more than a move, it's a transformation," says Andrew Harrison, BLG's Toronto region managing partner. While lawyers are not necessarily embracing the full open concept, they are adopting an entirely new approach for them. "In [the] U.K. and Europe, the flex- ible work and agile work agenda is pretty much the norm now," says Nigel Oseland, a London, England-based environmental psychologist specializing in workplace strat- egy. Having studied lawyers' workspaces, he was confounded by the realization that this was a profession that wasn't so quick to fol- low the lead of other professions. He recognized that lawyers are often introverts who tend to prefer calmer, qui- eter, relaxing spaces. At the same time, like any profession, law will attract a mix of personality types. "I think there's a hybrid solution where we offer choice," he says. That leads to providing a mixture of space, allowing people to gather and meet but also L AW O F F I C E M A N A G E M E N T W FAYE ROGERS Environmental change Law fi rms are redesigning their spaces to infuse the workplace with energy and collaboration. By Marg. Bruineman

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