What a Lawyer Needs for Their First Office

When a lawyer decides to take the step of renting an office, they have to remember that they must get that office furnished and purchase all the supplies that go along with running the law firm. Having the right supplies will keep the lawyer organized and keeps their productivity up. Having professional furnishings will also help set first impressions that may make or break their relationship with a client. OfficePlace does offer fully furnished offices for attorneys in Connecticut. Because of this, we decided to publish an article this week on what a lawyer needs for their first office. After reading this, you can download our office supplies checklist for a new law firm.

What a Lawyer Needs for Their First Office

Desks: Desks are always a must-have for any type of business that requires a workstation. When lawyers have a spacious desk, it can reduce the feeling of working in a crammed space and increase their productivity. When selecting your desk, try to select in accordance with your body size and type. You’ll also want to make sure have enough room on the desktop for a computer and other supplies you may need. The desktop should not look cluttered and there should be space to properly interact with a client or coworker.

Bookshelves: When a lawyer graduates law school, they always end up with piles of books. These books can be useful for reference during cases, so it is best to keep them on hand. Getting a bookshelf will keep the books neat and organized and provide easy access to them when needed. Try to match the bookshelf to your other office furniture so it does not clash. When setting up the bookshelf, consider anchoring it to the wall so the weight of the books does not cause the shelves to topple over.

Writing Supplies: This may seem obvious, but you would be surprised how many lawyers lose their writing supplies to the office mates and clients. It is always a good idea to keep extra pens on hand for signing contracts and paperwork. There are several companies that offer bulk pens that can be branded with your law firm name and logo. If the client ends up keeping these pens, consider it to be free advertising. You should also keep other supplies such as highlighters and red pens on hand for making corrections and making note of important items in paperwork.

Mailing Supplies: Attorneys and their paralegals send out letters to clients on a regular basis. It is a good idea to keep a bulk supply of manilla and regular envelopes on hand for the mailings. Another great idea for a law firm mailing supply item is a machine that automatically weighs a piece of mail and calculates the postage for you. You can learn more about postage meters here. If you plan on shipping packages, consider investing in bubble mailers or wrap to keep the items from getting damaged during shipping.

File Cabinets: When a lawyer is rushing through their cases, they must have easy access to the case files. Therefore, purchasing an adequate file cabinet is so important. Picking the size of one is always difficult but it is usually a better decision when you purchase a larger one than you need. This will ensure you have enough space to put more files in the cabinet if your law firm starts to grow. Many law firms also choose to purchase a file cabinet that has a lock on it to protect valuable data.