Earth Day
It's Earth Day, and a perfect time to talk about how law firms can be more green. Here's the trend we forecast: law firms going virtual. This is not a new concept for other sectors, particularly those involved in technology, and we predict more and more law firms will use this business model as a way to be more environmentally sound and economically viable.
Jaffe itself is a virtual organization; all of our staff work from home offices throughout the US and Canada. We have run the firm this way for nearly 15 years.
Why do we see this trend becoming more popular? It’s a perfect storm for law firms. On one hand, firms face increased pressure to cut costs so they may cut their rates and keep clients. On the other, clients are becoming increasingly interested in the green initiatives of the firms they hire. As with diversity, being green has become crucial to getting business. Going virtual allows firms to give up expensive leases, which provides an instant economic savings, and allows lawyers and staff to work from home, which eliminates the need for heating, lighting, cleaning and maintaining office space. Staff and lawyers don’t have to spend hourscommuting, which results in increased productivity and a lower carbon footprint. In short, the virtual business model saves firms money, while also greatly reducing their impact on the environment.
Comments
As someone who has worked in a virtual office for nearly 7 years, I can attest to the environmental impact. I'm no longer driving my car to a ferry, then taking a bus or subway to an office in the city. My dry cleaning costs have been dramatically reduced. At home I can control how much heat, air conditioning and lighting I use. I can be certain that my recycling efforts are not in vain. While I realize that the virtual model can't work for everyone, I do think that it can be a very effective way for lawyers to work. Technology enables collaboration and research, and while computers can't eliminate the need for face-to-face meetings, programs like ichat and webex let people interact online and "in person" which saves everyone money on travel costs.
I'm hearing more and more from law firms that their prospective clients are increasingly interested in green initiatives. It's becoming part of the RFP process and the sales process. As everyone works to reduce their carbon footprint, companies are looking not only at their own efforts, but at those of the vendors they work with, including law firms.
Working virtually is a win-win on so many levels. The economics of a home office make sense for me and for my company, and the carbon footprint reduction makes sense for the world at large. It's good business and it's good environmental policy. And clients are always impressed with those who take the lead.
Studies indicate that home-based employees are also more productive, anywhere from 10-40%. Co-workers can't just "drop by" your office to chat about last night's game, so the virtual environment naturally lends itself to increased productivity.
Working virtually with Jaffe for the past 9 years has made me more conscious of the often wasteful nature of a traditional bricks and mortar office. So it was great to see so many of our clients celebrating Earth Day today by instituting green programs in their firms. More and more, even traditional offices are making great efforts to save the environment and those of us working virtually are continuing to show them the way!
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