We don’t have offices in our firm. We have an open floor plan with everyone sitting in a big room with several glass divider walls that help manage the noise. We sit within a few feet of the next person.

It looks like the city room of a newspaper might look.

It works really well for us. It allows us to hear one another which is a great way to share information without requiring a rigid, formal system.

It helps train new lawyers. They can, literally, ask a question during a phone call.

It keeps highly social attorneys happy since they can spin around in the chair and talk to a colleague anytime they want.

Most importantly, it gives access to the firm’s leadership and experienced attorneys. Anyone can speak to anyone, and learn from anyone, all day long.

All and all, it breaks down the barriers that exist in some firms between partners and associates and between lawyers and others. The impact is better communication and relationships.

But, there’s a dark side to our big room.

It doesn’t come equipped with walls for hanging diplomas. It doesn’t come with a door to close to keep others out. It doesn’t come with the status of a view earned by years of service. It isn’t what attorneys have come to expect after years of law school.

One recent visitor, a judge, jokingly asked if we were telemarketing magazines.

That remark really didn’t help our egos.

We’ve had attorneys turn down our offer of a position in the past. They haven’t expressly blamed the open office, but I suspect it impacted a few situations.

Hiring attorneys has, at least until recently, required a fair amount of sensitivity to the ego. The current economic climate might have shifted that somewhat.

Our big room puts, front and center, the need to balance attorney ego against efficiency and effectiveness. We’ve come down on the side of being more productive.

Doing something unexpected and different creates challenges that aren’t always obvious. That’s a lesson worth passing along.