Why law firm offices are still half empty

“I can do this at home”

For many legal professionals, home working is a practical decision. If the office doesn’t offer more than a laptop and a screen, why spend time commuting, especially when every chargeable hour counts?

Low attendance often stems from offices that bring no clear advantage over home, hybrid working models that aren’t well supported, rigid layouts with limited choice and a lack of comfort or control over temperature, lighting and noise.

The message isn’t “I don’t want to be there,” it’s “I don’t need to be.”

That’s where workplace strategy comes in.

What the office offers that home can’t

The office earns its place when it delivers what remote work can’t. It’s where matters stay on track through cross-team conversations, where trainee lawyers pick up skills by seeing how the work is done, where clients get the trust and credibility that only comes face to face, and where people feel connected to the firm beyond their own caseload.

We’re working with legal firms to give people reasons to choose the office.

How law firms can make space work harder

Our workplace strategy teams help law firms optimise the size and use of their real estate to deliver maximum business value.

• Use real data – Measure occupancy and behaviour to see what works and what doesn’t.
• Plan for hybrid – Assume 2-3 office days a week; ~80% desk sharing is becoming standard.
• Keep privacy – Provide bookable rooms and non-assigned offices for partner use.
• Reinvest saved space – Create mentoring zones and client-ready areas.
• Choose buildings wisely – Amenities can add as much value as the address.

The best strategies meet the demands of legal work while creating efficient, future-ready workplaces.

Designing for how legal professionals actually work

Rightsizing space is only the start. The real question is: what should that space be doing?

In this guide, we explore how leading firms like HFW, Pinsent Masons and Wilson Sonsini are rethinking their workplaces to get more value from every square foot.

What’s inside:

• What legal occupiers now expect from their buildings
• How location and design influence client confidence
• Why focus-first outperforms open-plan
• Where collaboration delivers value
• How data is changing real estate decisions

Whether you’re shaping the strategy or managing the asset, this guide shows how the legal sector workplace is evolving.

And finally, no strategy works without buy-in

Transformation happens in mindset. Shifting from assigned offices to shared zones, from hierarchy to flexibility, takes more than a new floorplan. It takes trust, clarity and the right conversations.

That’s why we support clients in managing the change that comes with it. Helping leadership lead and teams adapt. Because when it’s done well, change isn’t disruptive, it’s what makes progress possible.

And it’s how the legal sector workplace moves forward.