In March of this year, Jenner & Block signed the lease on a new 13,000 sq ft office at 10 Exchange Square, Broadgate (pictured), adjacent to Liverpool Street in the heart of the City, increasing our London office footprint by almost 50%, with an option to add additional space after five years.
As the firm’s London managing partner, I am deeply proud of the work of our team, and the firm’s growth and performance in the seven years since entering the London market, expanding from just two lawyers in 2015 to over 20 today. That growth is set to continue, driving the need for more office space.
However, in the months leading up to this week’s official opening, we have been conscious that we may be diverging from the prevailing trend in the legal market towards office downsizing.
For instance, recent survey figures suggest that half of all law firms are planning to reduce the amount of space they occupy within the next three years. Two-thirds are continuing to repurpose their remaining office spaces for more collaborative/hybrid working, while 29% have already achieved the reduction they require, which amounts to an average cut of 13%.
Much has been written about the impact of the pandemic and the related shift in working patterns on firms’ office requirements and strategies. Specifically, the move towards more flexible or hybrid working, which we, like many others, have embraced on the grounds that it affords a flexibility highly valued by our lawyers and professional staff.
At a basic level, the downsizing trend reflects a simple, mathematical recalculation by many firms of how much office or desk space is required to accommodate professional staff members who are now working part of the week remotely. While that makes sense at a certain level, in making our own decisions, we have engaged in a deeper re-evaluation not simply of practical space needs, but of the purpose and value that the office brings to our team, and to the service that the team provides to our clients.
The experience of the pandemic and prolonged periods of isolated working demonstrated that the true value of an office lies not just in providing a space to work, but in helping to build a happy, motivated and successful team. An office should facilitate interaction and collaboration between colleagues, provide a learning environment for team members, drive cohesion, enhance client experience and provide inspiration. Our aim was therefore to create a space that encouraged people to come into the office, not because they are obliged to, but because they gain from, and enjoy, the experience.
We felt that required a bigger space, not just to accommodate more desks as we continue to grow our headcount, but in terms of a design that helps us to ‘think bigger’. From a new and improved ‘social hub’, to enhanced meeting rooms, to collaborative spaces, to dedicated rooms for conferences and events, we have aspired to create a purpose-built environment, with the emphasis on the ‘purpose’ of what we wish to achieve for our clients, for our people, and for our future as a firm. That means a space which makes our team feel engaged and inspired consistently to produce their very best work.
Ultimately, the purpose and design of a law firm’s office is inextricably linked with its brand. We have always placed enormous value on the distinctive Jenner & Block brand, inherited from our colleagues in the US who have cultivated it for more than a century. Not only does that mean a relentless emphasis on the quality of the work we produce, but also a dedication to the wider community manifested in our market-leading pro bono initiatives – the latest being a five-year firm-wide commitment to providing $250m in free legal services to those in need of access to justice, as well as recognition by a leading US legal publication as the number one-ranked firm for international pro bono in 2021.
Our new office is the hub from which this work will continue, and is our gateway into the community, through which we hope to project our expertise and brand into the market and continue to attract the very best talent.
In the grand scheme of things, Jenner & Block is still a svelte operation in London – specialising in the most high-stakes and complex disputes and investigations. But our headcount continues to grow, alongside our ambitions. Seven years into our journey, we have found there is a space in London’s competitive legal market for a firm that is intent on distinguishing itself on quality and the ability to navigate clients’ most complex challenges, while remaining true to values of integrity and collegiality. We believe that maintaining our position amongst so much talented competition requires a team that is tightly integrated and happy in each other’s company. We have therefore found a new home in London that is commensurate with our aims and ambitions, building on what we have accomplished so far and equipping us for all that is still to come.
Charlie Lightfoot is London managing partner of Jenner & Block
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