The Perks of Small Law: Tuesday Masseuse and Tagging Events

While there are a few offbeat Biglaw firms out there (think Venable and rooftop bocce ball), the quirkiest firms tend to be the small ones. Childress Duffy Goldblatt is a litigation shop that does insurance recovery work. Its Chicago office just moved to a new location where it’s rolling out new perks.

One quirky perk? From RE Journals:

A massage table remained in a small office on Wednesday. Childress explained that a masseuse typically visits the office on Tuesdays.

“She just grabs you if you look like you need a massage,” Childress said.

If there’s going to be spontaneous grabbing at the office, it’s best done by a professional. (Speaking of, does Sidley still offer chair service?)

There are some other interesting aspects of this new location: no walls, a roof deck, and an upcoming “tagging” event — attorneys will be let loose with spray cans to decorate…

Childress has gone with an “open concept” for its new location, meaning no individual offices (or cubicles) for its attorneys. Hierarchy be damned: associates and staffers work side-by-side, and name partners Childress and Duffy share an office. It reminds us a little of Ally McBeal. Is there a unisex bathroom too?

Sponsored

The place sounds more like a Silicon Valley start-up than an insurance litigation shop:

Parts of the 13,000 square-foot office space are painted in bright primary colors. The space also includes a coffee bar and areas with comfortable sofas and flat-screen televisions. The coffee bar area is meant to provide space for employees to socialize, Childress said.

“It’s more like you work at home,” Childress said.

The office also has a sweet roof deck and wireless internet, so associates can leave their shared work tables and incorporate tanning time into their billable hours:

The firm’s 20 lawyers all have laptop computers, which allows them to serve clients nationwide when they work in the firm’s Florida or Texas offices.

Last Friday morning, Phillips arrived at the office early and headed to the roof deck with her laptop for several hours.

“It didn’t feel like work for 3 1/2 hours in the morning,” Phillips said during an interview on the deck Wednesday.

Jealous yet?

Sponsored

Well, if you’re not into graffiti, it might not be the place for you:

During the coming months, a “tagging” event is expected. Teams of employees will be set loose with spray paint cans to cover sections of the deck in whatever designs they want to create, Childress said.

We wonder what the CDG gang sign looks like.

Law firm moves into unique, open office space [Re Journals]

Earlier: Biglaw Perk Watch: Massages