Your office is the representative reception room for your clients and daily workplace for you and your employees. The furnishings and equipment of your office are your business card. A high-quality ambience has an extremely positive influence on both your image as a mandate holder and your own work situation.
3 Good reasons to change the appearance of your law firm
- Your office space is getting a bit old and is no longer up to date.
- You are moving into new premises for your law firm.
- You are taking over an existing office and have different ideas regarding design and functionality.
11 tips: Set up your law firm like a pro
When it comes to setting up your law firm, there are many decisions to make. Your furniture should accompany you for many years and always leave a perfect impression. The ambience should be appealing and inspire confidence. The various work areas should be ergonomically designed and correspond to the required handling of sensitive data. In this blog post, we will discuss tips for effective law firm setup. Read on and learn more!
Setting up a law firm – The most important tips and tricks:
Tip 1: Give a confidence inspiring impression
The first impression is crucial. Do not leave any doubts about your professionalism and seriousness. Cleanliness, tidiness, quality and aesthetics of your premises also convey to your clients and employees an image of your personality and thus of your supposed quality of work as a lawyer, tax advisor or auditor.
- What image do you want to convey to your clients?
Your law firm furnishings will leave a lasting impression on your clients. Take advantage of this for your own purposes. - In which ambience do you feel most comfortable?
Also think about your needs, because you yourself will spend most of your time in your office.
Tip 2: Choose your furniture future-oriented
Your furnishings should provide a harmonious overall look and a chic, functional environment for your daily work. Easy-to-clean surfaces and enclosed storage facilitate a neat appearance. This will make your law office space clear, functional and at the same time appealing and elegant.
Modular furniture systems like FLEXCUBE have the unbeatable advantage of being changeable. They can thus always be adapted to the development of your law firm. They can be easily redesigned. Individual panels or countertops can be replaced. This is sustainable, budget-friendly and still allows for a perfect appearance even after many years.
The countless variations for cabinets, shelves, lowboards, sideboards and highboards or counters can be individually configured in function and color for modular furniture systems. With timeless classic furniture you signal taste and professionalism to your customers.
Tip 3: Make the entrance area inviting
The entryway is the first physical point of contact with your office. Unfortunately, the entrance area is often neglected in the planning of the facility. The company sign, which is already easily recognizable from a distance, is indispensable. It should also inlcude the exact indication of where to find your offices in the building itself. Greenery in planters in front of the office adds liveliness to the entrance area.
Tip 4: The reception as a central contact point
Your clients should feel warmly welcomed from the very first moment. Even if they have to wait a moment until you are ready for the appointment. Therefore, plan a reception area centrally located to the entrance. From here, everything happening in your office space should be manageable.
It is essential to keep data protection and discretion in mind when planning. A reception counter with raised storage provides discretion. The desk behind it and the documents and screen on it are thus not visible to visitors. If possible, place the reception counter in front of a back wall.
Tip 5: Create a discreet waiting area
Consciously plan where you want your clients to wait for you, in case tehy show up a little early for the scheduled appointment. This can be an attractive seating area in the reception area or a separate room. In larger law firms, a separate waiting room is more advisable for reasons of discretion. Complement the seating with a small table for drinks. Make waiting a pleasant pastime.
For this purpose, for example, suitable decoration in the form of murals that tell something about the place or their law firm history.
Tip 6: Skillfully furnish office space
Set up executive office
How luxurious may or must the office of a lawyer or tax advisor be? Your executive office is the representative heart of your office. This is where decisions are made and business contacts are cultivated. Your professionalism and seriousness should be reflected in your furniture.
An executive office for lawyers should be well equipped and attractively furnished. The centerpiece is a large desk, an ergonomic walking desk chair, and enough closed storage space in a roll container to discreetly store all work documents.
Plan for a separate meeting table and comfortable visitor chairs for meetings, if possible. If for reasons of space, clients have to take a seat in front of your desk, please make sure that no disturbing equipment blocks the area. With the help of an L-shaped desk, you can create a separate area for conversations at your desk.
Set up a secretariat
Your office worker needs a work environment designed to meet his or her needs and a facility that complies with workplace regulations. Here, too, the ergonomic desk, desk chair and storage are the core theme. As your secretariat takes care of the organizational processes, the area expands to include areas such as mail, printers, archives and coffee kitchen.
Tip 7: The right desk
A desk should be at least 160cm long and 80cm deep. This size provides enough space for a computer workstation and storage space for documents. For single offices desks are preferably chosen in 180cm or 200cm length.
Since sitting at a desk for long periods of time is unhealthy, you should opt for an ergonomic, height-adjustable desk. Adjustable desks provides the greatest comfort. Make sure that there are sufficient options for cable management.
Choose a model with integrated storage space or complement the desk with a storage container. So all important utensils are always at hand and your desk is always tidy.
An L-shaped desk is a good option if there is a particularly large space requirement or if a visitor function is to be integrated.
Tip 8: The right office chair
The right desk chair and its correct adaptation to the user is a top priority when it comes to ergonomic work. The basis for optimal individual adjustment is the correct adaptation of the desk chair to body size and body proportions. Seat height and seat depth must be adjustable, seat tilt should be.
You sit correctly when the hip, knee and foot joints are approximately at right angles. Between the front edge of the seat and the lower leg should remain a distance of three to four fingers width, while you touch the backrest with the pelvis. If your chair has a seat tilt function, you can tilt the seat forward. Your pelvis is thus tilted slightly forward, which is good for the spine.
Tip 9: The right filing cabinets
Wisely chosen furniture does not only make it easy to keep order, but also add style and an individual touch to your rooms. Insufficient storage space quickly makes an office look disorganized and unprofessional. The same applies to open storage. We therefore recommend closed storage. We recommend display cases or open storage only if and where you want to deliberately showcase specific pieces.
A variety of different functions allows you to create the optimal furniture:
- File folders disappear behind flaps or doors
- Suspension files arrange a large number of files
- Drawers store many small items
- Display cases protect exhibits from dirt and dust
- Open storage allows quick access
- Lockable compartments and cabinets ensure the protection of sensitive data
High or low storage furniture?
High storage uses m3 instead of just m2. High filing cabinets and shelves are optimal for small offices or archives. Look for high quality with large load capacity. Stability is required for cabinets and shelves to support heavy file folders. Thus you can arrange a lot of things in the smallest area. High storage units can also be used as a room devider. For example, the printer and all accessories, fax, mailboxes, etc. disappear behind an elegant furniture wall, without the hassle of having a real wall built in. Lowboards or sideboards are great for adding a homey, cozy touch to the workspace.
Modular furniture systems – the future-proof option
Modular furniture systems are extremely flexible. They can be adapted to new requirements at any time and can be converted: higher or lower, longer or shorter. Open compartments can be supplemented with doors, flaps or drawers. Individual parts can be replaced instead of disposing of entire pieces of furniture and starting from scratch.
Quality and durability pay off in the long run. As your business changes, modular furniture will help you make the most of your new space sustainably and with little effort. Well-known Swiss brands are for example FLEXCUBE and USM.
Tip 10: Service option: Office planning
There are many variables to consider when it comes to office planning. How big should your office be? What type of layout is best for your team? How can you make the most of your space? This is where our guide can help you. You will learn everything you need to know about planning and furnishing your office or you can let us plan for you free of charge and without obligation.
Tip 11: Service option: Financing
Especially in the case of a new establishment, the budget can quickly reach its limits with high-quality equipment. Used furniture could be an option here. But does it really make you happy to start with a compromise already? SME special conditions, leasing, rental or financial purchase options can be a budget-friendly option. It is worthwhile to obtain different offers and benefit, for example, from the FLEXCUBE SME special conditions.
Conclusion
We hope you found our tips helpful. If you have any questions or would like to learn more about office furniture, please contact us. We are happy to help you design the perfect office for your business, free of charge and without obligation. Thank you very much!
Questions & answers about office furnishing
Where should the desk be located?
The desk area should have sufficient daylight. Ideally, the desk should be at a 90-degree angle to the window. You should look into the room, not against a wall and also not have a door at your back.
Remember that power, network and telephone connections are available at the installation site. Make sure that cables for PC, monitors, telephone and other devices, are organized and hidden in the best possible way with the help of cable management.
What countertop should have a desk?
Choose a surface that avoids reflections, avoid glass tables. Low-reflection surfaces are, for example, real wood veneers or melamine coatings.
What distinguishes a particularly good office chair?
An outstanding office chair or executive chair is characterized by its special seating features. Each office chair should be adjustable in seat height and depth to fit the employee. For a particularly good chair, make sure to choose a model that has a synchro mechanism, adjustable armrests and lumbar support. It should also be designed for sitting for more than eight hours, as the strain on the back is particularly high. A neck support additionally helps to minimize strain on the neck.
Is a conversation area at the desk useful?
Visitor chairs at the desk are common. In a law firm, you should preferably create a separate area for conversations with your clients.
What filing options does a law firm need?
As basic equipment, a lawyer’s office needsshelves for professional literature and the possibility to store files safely. Choose lockable filing cabinets for folders or hanging files to keep your clients’ personal data safe. When placing filing cabinets, make sure they open easily and do not block walkways. Secure high storage on the wall, so that they can not fall over.
Make sure you have enough storage space at your desk so that all utensils are neatly stowed away but always within reach. For example, use a separate drawer unit if your desk does not have built-in storage.
Plan for a coat racknear the reception area for visitors. A small kitchenette completes their office.
What is the difference between Flexcube and USM Haller?
Flexcube and USM Haller furniture can be visually distinguished by the connecting element. The familiar USM Haller node has holes with screw threads, while the Flexcube stainless steel cube is completely closed. For more information, visit https://flexcube.ch/faq
How to create a pleasant atmosphere in the office?
Good basic lighting is essential. Combine different light sources. Direct lighting, such as task lights and desk lamps, provides focused light for specific tasks. Indirect lighting, such as ceiling lamps, emits diffused light that reduces glare and eye fatigue.
Plants bring color and life to any space and play an important role in improving indoor air quality. Plants can also help to reduce the noise level.
What does the term “ergonomics” mean in the workplace?
Ergonomics in the workplace means caring for the health of employees. Frequent changes in posture, alternating between sitting and standing, helps prevent back and neck pain and tension. Provide a height-adjustable desk, an ergonomic office chair for this purpose.
Want to learn more about ergonomics in the workplace?
What technical equipment is required?
The technical equipment of law firms is constantly evolving. Computers and laptops are largely replacing fax machines and printers. Most documents and pleadings are now sent electronically. A stable and fast Internet connectionis an essential basic requirement.
A modern telephone system, licenses for office applications, accounting software and special lawyer software for managing appointments and deadlines form the necessary basis. Speech recognition software can almost completely automate dictation writing.
