Change of Scenery

I am practicing in my firm's conference room this afternoon.  No, my office isn't cluttered, being cleaned, or missing furniture.  I am in the conference room for a simple change of scenery.  We just purchased a new table for the conference room, and I really like how open the design is.  There are no awkward corners to wheel around, and behind me are two big windows of the world outside.  Not that we are sitting on the 28th floor of some tower in Buckhead, but it is nice to get some sunshine into a workspace.  The conference room is also clear of stuff.  We have chairs, the table, a rug, and a couple of small shelves to house supplies.  It's amazing to me how my brain can be energized by working in an empty space.

No, this is not a profound essay about how my inner genius shows himself in the conference room.  My point is far more elementary.  As a small firm attorney, we have more clients that all want us to be intimately familiar with their case (and rightly so!).  It's easy to miss the forest for the trees in my practice, and sometimes a little change of pace is just what I need.  With a new perspective comes new eyes, and I can often catch some different argument by leaving the office.  To get work done, all I require is a phone and wifi.  So long as I have that, I can go pretty much anywhere.  I urge you to find a way to mobilize your practice as well.  You will be surprised by how efficient you can be in a new location.

As I write this post, I should also note the drawbacks with changing up your work location.  In the past hour, I have had staffers in and out wanting to chat about why I am here instead of my office.  Changing behavior can make people uneasy, so expect to explain yourself.  Obviously, the same could be said for taking the old laptop down to Starbucks.  Different distractions, but a new environment will carry with it new activities to ignore.  For a week, practicing in a new place may not work.  But for an afternoon, it might be just what you need to clear your head and get some work done.

My partner has always said that he could practice out of the trunk of his car if he wanted.  This sounds strange, but we should be mindful that practicing law need not be done in a brick-and-mortar office.

JD

John D. Duncan is president of J.D. Duncan, PC, founding partner of Prater, Duncan & Craig, LLC in Newnan, Georgia, and is Esquire by Day.  You can find him at www.jdduncanlaw.com, or follow him on twitter and Facebook.