Suburban Law Firms Primed For a Boom

Two years ago, one of our premier firms had asked us to help them grow their New Jersey office. There were many excellent and qualified candidates who worked in New York City with whom I spoke. Each of them were very interested in the opportunity, but ultimately most of them didn’t take the plunge for one main reason – a fear of losing clients and opportunities by not being in the Big Apple.

Fast forward to today’s environment, and it is a whole new ball game. As we as a country start the vaccination process and hopefully are closer to the end than the beginning of the pandemic, the realities of business and the legal profession in particular have changed. In particular, virtual conferencing has brought a revolution in areas of the law that would have been unheard of just a couple of years back – and likely to stay.

Law firms have already started adjusting their expectations of being in the office because they understand that the business of law does not require constant physical presence. Real estate footprints are being reduced. Weekly office meetings are being held on Zoom. Remote positions are increasing.

Now, this is not to say that personal meetings are going to be extinct. Far from it. There is a real value to sitting across the table for important discussions or to take an important deposition. However, there has been a re-evaluation as to what is “important.” This re-evaluation is not just limited to law firms. Businesses also have come to the same conclusions and so long as they can get their attorney on the phone or over the internet, they are satisfied. And when you need to see them, you can be there in an hour or so.

Even business development has evolved so that law firms and potential clients understand the new realities and accommodations are made.

It is because of this shift in paradigm that I believe that legal markets bordering on the major ones are primed for a boom. In particular, we see great attorney growth for law firms with a presence in New Jersey, Orange County, Suburban Chicago, West Palm Beach and Ft. Lauderdale.

If you live in one of these or other suburban areas and want to be closer to home without having to sacrifice much, call us.