It’s like a marriage. You’ve got to know
who you’re getting into bed with,' says Joel Kadish, a real estate lawyer in Toronto. Having shared office space with two other lawyers for the past eleven years, he’s well acquainted with the pros and cons of marriages
of convenience.But, moving in together isn’t just about the convenience. For sure, it makes sense on all sorts of practical levels, monetary and professional. It does help, however, if you’re able to share more than just the rent, bills and photocopier.
'You want to make sure these people share the same philosophies of work, almost of life,' says Kadish. He and his two office companions, specialised in corporate law and litigation, go back a long way — all the way back to high school. It’s clear that Kadish knew exactly whom he was getting into bed with from the get go.
Robert Brouillette in Montreal is of the same mind. 'Anyone sharing space with you is sharing their emotions as well,' he says. 'If people are not a pleasure to deal with, you don’t want them.' Brouillette rents out three offices in the building where his small intellectual property firm is based. 'I don’t like to pay for empty space,' he says.
Michael Carabash, a business lawyer based in Toronto, moved into shared premises at the beginning of this year. The big test for him is whether co-occupants can still stand each other after working 'long and hard on a big project all night.' 'Are you going to kill each other? It doesn’t matter if you have the best space in town. If you can’t get it together, it won’t work out.'
The principal motivation for moving in together is, of course, cost sharing. Why pay several times over when three can share one photocopier, one alarm system and one high-speed internet connection? Carabash also found himself sharing renovation costs, an investment that should pay for itself once he rents out the additional two offices on the premises.
There’s also the undeniable lure of the 'one-stop-shop,' the ability to join forces with professionals in different practice areas to
offer a broader repertoire of services. Lawyers sharing space tend to boost their client base and leverage with cross-referrals. 'The whole can be greater than the sum of the parts,' says Kadish. 'Sharing space can be a great move if you don’t want to join a firm, but still want to offer additional services.'
Collegiality also counts. Having someone with whom to share experiences and expertise makes freelancing a whole lot more fun. Carabash has found himself knocking on his more experienced co-occupant’s door to ask for advice on specific files or even to ask him to sit in and provide feedback on meetings.
On one occasion, he was advised to stop joking around with clients. 'He [my co-occupant] told me: ‘You’ve got all these qualifications and certificates on the wall. I don’t think you need to be joking around.’ It made me think I shouldn’t be so open.'
Sharing space with a like-minded colleague can get the creative juices going. Carabash and his co-occupant are currently putting together video guides offering legal insights and tips to lay people on everything from small claims forms to power of attorney applications. 'I don’t think I would have done it any time soon on my own,' he says.
But, like marriage, sharing office space isn’t necessarily a bed of roses. Hackles can be raised, for example, in cases where a co-occupant decides to refer clients outside the office cocoon. 'You can’t refer willy-nilly. You always have to be mindful of what’s in the best interest of the client,' says Kadish. To a large extent, it comes down to managing people’s expectations.
In cases where lawyers in different practice areas decide to collaborate on a case, it helps to sketch out a common strategy beforehand. This can apply to issues like responding to client queries within a reasonable time frame. 'If service standards are different, it can be phenomenally frustrating. Then you’ve put your neck on the line,' says Kadish.
Making arrangements clear from the outset is a must, especially with regard to big ticket items like rent. Before signing on the dotted line, co-occupants should draw up a common agreement that covers issues like contractual obligations in cases where one of the co-occupants pulls out.
Says Kadish: 'If I’m going on the hook for the whole property, I’d better be damn sure of the people I’m going into bed with. Notwithstanding being a lawyer, you might want to get legal advice. If you’re a criminal lawyer, don’t draft your own agreement.'
Written agreements can also apply to the little things. The more, ahem, parsimonious among us might prefer to use a counter on the photocopier to ensure that costs are split right down to the last sheet of A4. But even those who prefer to work on a looser basis should create a strong framework to ensure nobody’s left carrying the can should things go awry.
Finally, there’s the stuff of everyday working life, the little tensions that can arise from the most ordinary of situations. 'It’s never going to be perfect,' says Carabash. 'We’re both used to being our own bosses, so we might butt heads over ways of doing things. Once, I grabbed a mop and asked if I could clean my colleague’s floor. He said he’d bring a vacuum cleaner. We went back and forth. He wanted to do it his way.'
Ultimately, however, for many lawyers, the human factor swings it. Kadish says he and his co-occupants are like siblings now. 'We’ve seen each other go through life. As we’ve been through the life cycle we have been there to support each other. It’s invaluable,' he says.
Sharing office space, he adds, also means you have someone to go out to lunch with.
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