Steve Poor Quoted in Chicago Lawyer
"A new type of law firm: Management; culture and ideals will undergo change"

The March 2007 issue of Chicago Lawyer reports on the future of law firms - - in both management and physical appearance.  The article, "A new type of law firm: Management; culture and ideals will undergo change," reports that "Consultants, lawyers, and law firm managers look into their metaphorical crystal balls to describe what will need to change before tomorrow's law firm can become successful. They will need to manage their firms more like corporations with non-lawyers running the business side, and lawyers running the practice side. They will need to learn what type of firm they want to be, and will need to work harder to offer their clients' specialized service. "The guiding principle is to try to understand where your clients are, what kind of issues they are going to be confronting, and how to respond to those issues," said Stephen Poor, chairman and managing partner of Seyfarth Shaw. "As clients become larger, they begin to extend their reach.  "The services that companies need change and evolve and are really responsive to the marketplace. They are going after certain segments. The trend is for law firms to think in segments of business, the kinds of clients, the kinds of work for clients, rather than being all things to all people."

The article, "Law firms create offices with more bells and whistles," opines "Imagine a cafeteria that looks more like a hip restaurant, or a conference room that changes in size depending on the meeting demands. What would a law firm be like if every office was the same size, or if partners gave up their corner offices?  The law firm of the future will not only use different management styles and recruitment techniques, but will also design its building differently.  Several of Chicago's large firms have already designed buildings with many of these details, while others are considering creating an office that does a better job of promoting collaboration and technology.  According to Gensler's 2006 survey of U.S. offices, 88 percent of those in the surveyed legal community said that the quality of a work environment is very important to their sense of job satisfaction.  Many law firms put a great deal of thought into the design and organization of their new buildings, and how both its employees and visitors will react to the look.  Seyfarth Shaw, which worked with Gensler, wanted the design to help facilitate communication and collaboration among lawyers, said Stephen Poor, chairman and managing partner. The pressure on rates and the increasing costs of business can dictate a need to study space utilization, Poor said.  The firm has less individual ceremonial space, such as individual offices, and more space that draws people together, he said. Couches and private areas encourage one-on-one time that is not behind a desk.  The firm's offices are also universally the same size, and people like it, he said.   "We are one of the few firms of our size to go with this size," he said. "It helps the culture of the firm. It's a more efficient use of the space."