I’m looking for office space, via a sublease, lease of a small space, or coworking.
Internet, I turn to you for help.
In the six years that I’ve run my own firm, I’ve rented private office space at WeWork–and have been pretty happy with it. It’s gorgeous space, staffed by cool people, with lots flexibility (both in term and location). I’ve been able run my firm from Austin, Chicago, Boston, and Seoul.
But, WeWork doesn’t make it easy to stay a “forever” tenant. (Note: I am leaving after having a dispute with them over about $19 per month in copy charges. I’m being a little bit petty, but the business side of WeWork is pretty awful.)
One of the thesis statements of my firm was that I don’t need grand office space, gaudy views, and expensive, long-term leases to succeed. My practice needs good wi-fi and…well, that’s it. My responsiveness and results do not depend on how fancy my office space is.
Now, don’t get me wrong. Whatever I choose is going to be nice, but, at the same time, smart, efficient, and lean.
Early in COVID, my former law firm faced both a challenge and an opportunity: Our gigantic office space–which had been mostly empty for 2-3 months as the firm dealt with the government mandated version of WFH–was up for renewal in July 2020. After looking at larger (and smaller) spaces in/near downtown and in new areas, that firm decided to stay put, moving to a similar space, on a lower floor of the same building. Having glimpsed the future, we opted to do things the old fashioned way.
Having missed paychecks and year end bonuses over the years due to that firm’s operating costs, I vowed to run my own practice differently. So far, my lean machine has definitely always made payroll (and then some) and continues to grow (far more than I like). But that growth hasn’t yet forced me (yet) to sign a long term lease for too much space.
So, here we are. If you know of anybody with a some extra space available next year, email me at david@exolegal.com.
