03 November 2015 at 09:03 BST

Law firms work to future-proof their buildings

Many law firms are being more creative than before and even locating themselves on the edges of traditional city locations as a means to keep costs down, but also to be able to develop for future demand, according to a report from JLL.

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The report by JLL, 2015 Law Firm Perspective, says that the legal sector occupies roughly 17 per cent of class A office space across US urban cores and accounts for more than 25 per cent of occupancy in markets including Washington, D.C., Palo Alto, Cleveland, Columbus, Fort Lauderdale and Austin.

Live-work-play

Elizabeth Cooper, international director and co-lead of JLL’s law firm practice group, said: 'Live-work-play environments appeal to Millennials, and the lower rents in fringe locations appeal to efficiency-focused firms.'

The end of law libraries

Tom Doughty, co-lead of the law firm group at JLL, said: 'Digitization has reduced support staff ratios, and virtually eliminated the need for law libraries and file rooms. The time is now to get creative with location and building options.' Source: Globest