OTLA Trial Lawyer Winter 2021

13 Trial Lawyer • Winter 2021 showcase local artists in the office as a way to connect with the community. This would also serve to spruce up the office. Gregory had learned that many artists have pieces that are just sitting around collecting dust. He went to Craigslist (again) and put out a request for artist’s works to be displayed in their office. The response was instantaneous and mutually beneficial. Gregory and Escrivá have nice artwork on their walls, and the artists get exposure they had not had before. Gregory and Escrivá pride their office as being “drop in” friendly. They credit this as a benefit in developing a loyal client base in which their existing clients will refer family and friends. In just over six months, they have increased their caseload from the initial three files to almost fifty. Small town, family run practice Juli Upton has a small family-orient- ed office in Coos Bay. She is the first in her family to become a lawyer, but that has not stopped her from relying on her family when it comes to running her business. She enlisted her husband to help her with the day-to-day office man- agement and work on some files. Her son, Sam, works as a part-time legal as- sistant/receptionist. Upton has even enlisted the help of a friend of another child to cover when Sam is unavailable. A true family-run business. Office progression It is not uncommon for a newer at- torney to start out working for someone else. Many cut their teeth working for the district attorney or for a public de- fender’s office. More start out in larger law firms to learn the ropes. Portland attorney Tim Grabe was an associate at a medium size firm before he decided to go out on his own. One thing he learned, as a sole practitioner, was he needed to keep costs down. Another thing he learned was the importance of developing relationships and the value of mentoring (whether as a mentor or mentee). Grabe initially kept costs down by setting up shop in an office share building with a great receptionist and conference rooms. He eventually wound up in a downtown office suite a small firm leases out to several sole practitioners. The best part of his current arrangement is the ability to talk over coffee with other lawyers in his own suite. Paul Bovarnick has practiced with the same lawyers for more than 30 years in many different capacities. First, he sub- leased an office from the attorneys and eventually became a partner. Currently he is “of counsel.” Through the years the common argument he would have with the other attorneys in his office was the division of fees. Bovarnick always felt they should have more, and they always said “Paul, you should have more.” For Paul, what worked was he was always seeking a great experience and enjoyed his co-workers. Office share or cowork Doug Hageman and Mike Sargetakis own Oxbow Law Group. They initially sought out an office share situation, but found they are better suited to be sole practitioners. In looking for a suitable office, they learned that the General Services Administration rents out vacant space in the Gus Solomon Courthouse at reasonable rates. They were able to lease a former judge’s chambers at incred- ibly affordable lease terms. They thrive on the ability to bounce ideas off each other. Hageman and Sargetakis also looked at an office/work space solution called “WeWork.” They found it to be, for them, not a great deal. The costs seemed high and the space minimal. I reached out via the OTLA List Serv to seek out any attorney who had used WeWork or similar coworking arrange- ments. The sound of crickets was deafen- ing. I imagine this is partly due to con- cerns of client confidentiality. There has been a rise nationwide in attorney-only coworking offices. According to Angela Morris in a June 2019 ABA Journal ar- ticle “The Coworking Frontier,” there are a number of lawyer-exclusive cowork- ing spaces thriving in California, Texas, New York, Boston and Chicago. The legal coworking arrangement usually requires nondisclosure agreements and the cost of membership depends on how much service you require. Cheapest is a virtual office. The highest cost can entail a private office. After the pandemic sub- sides, this might be the wave of the future for solo practitioners. Home office Lisa Hunt long ago discovered she does her best work in loungewear. As Lisa puts it, “In my line of work, I can have long fits of writing, researching and refin- ing arguments that may render me stuck at the computer for up to 12 hours a day. As such, I find it rather freeing not to have to take the time to make myself presentable, commute to an office and attend to creatures other than my dogs. Even when I worked at law firms, I often did my best work from home at night or over the weekends. I attribute this to the importance of loungewear, letting my hair explode in every direction and often enjoying the company of my dogs more than people. That being said, my best advice to others who work in isolation is (1) create a workspace environment you love and enjoy being in, and (2) make sure to regularly maintain other healthy habits (such as exercise, eating well, and resting your eyes on beautiful things in nature or art) throughout the day. Most importantly, never sacrifice the regular contact and connection with your most significant people. This not only prevents a person from getting really weird, but it is necessary for sustaining the heart and soul. Because I have spent most of my career working from home, it was pretty easy to transition into the conditions of the pandemic. What distinguishes this time from before, however, is the extra effort I have put into maintaining See Unique Office Arrangements p 14