The Best Law Firm Offices in America: The Finalists!
Here are the finalists for our contest to find the Best Law Firm Offices in America.
4. Edelson McGuire: The nomination email we received was a little long-winded, but it was well-written, so we’ll share it with you (most of it, at least). It begins:
Edelson McGuire’s space in Chicago might just be the coolest law office ever. A compliment to the firm’s website, the Chicago office has helped brand the boutique as an emerging leader in high-stakes technology class actions, privacy suits, and other national litigation. Taking up the entire 13th floor in a building just North of the river, if someone didn’t tell you it was a law firm you’d think they were busily coming up with the next big website or app…. [T]he office’s exposed ceilings (complete with industrial vents and piping) contrast with the hi-tech look of the office walls to provide an unmistakable start-up feel all their own.
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You can see the exposed ceiling in this photo (click to enlarge for a close-up on hipster lawyers):
The moment you pass the main doors, you’re standing on blacktop, painted gray, where a tennis court overlay — in the firm’s signature electric orange — begins under your feet and climbs up the wall, around a 50″ flat screen, and onto the ceiling. For good reason: when not acting as the lobby, the site doubles as home to the firm’s Wii tennis matches (as well as their Beatles Rock Band jam sessions and occasional movie screenings).
Here’s the room containing the tennis court overlay and the Rock Band equipment:
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Double electric orange lines along the walls invite visitors to head either left or right. Turning right, offices line the exterior with views of LaSalle Street. The firm’s signature green circuit board nameplates (featuring each attorney’s “number” signifying their arrival at the firm) sit between the two orange lines to mark each office. Peek inside any of them and you’ll see partners and associates writing briefs, discussing strategy, preparing discovery, and–just occasionally — napping (it’s allowed when needed).
Let’s look at some of the individual offices. This one features a little clutter, a cute boy, and an exercise ball instead of a chair. Click to enlarge, and check out his adorable red shoes! (“There’s no place like home…. There’s no place like home….”)
Edelson McGuire is my kind of office. They don’t seem to place a high priority on neatness:
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As you pass the clerk pit to your right — where many of the firm’s associates have started out while still in law school — you reach the main conference room. With a corner view of the Chicago river (and several support staff floors of a not-to-be-named-BigLaw firm), the conference room serves as the office’s central meeting place, where attorneys gather around an official KillerSpin ping pong table (adding custom-fitted panels when necessary to accommodate larger groups). Whether it’s a pick-up match or the annual Edelson McGuire Ping Pong Tournament, just be sure to bring your A-game — the firm boasts some advanced players. Continuing to the right leads to additional offices plus the kitchen area and lunch counter, where the firm’s lawyers dine together nearly every day (and the firm picks up the lunch tab)!
Who says there’s no such thing as a free lunch? Looks pretty yummy too (and I’m not just talking about the food):
Heading back to the lobby and following the orange lines left takes you to additional offices, a second administrative area, and a meeting area staffed with couches for attorneys to hang out and debate impending issues (along with a view of the old courthouse where Clarence Darrow used to try cases). The highlight of this area is the new pool table, an attorney hotspot for strategy sessions (and the firm’s new annual pool tourney).
All together, there’s no other law firm office that combines Edelson McGuire’s start-up feel with the resources of a specialized boutique. For these reasons, and because of the kick-a$$ photos we’re attaching, Edelson McGuire should win Above the Law’s first ever Lawyerly Lairs Contest.
All in all, it’s an impressive submission. Let’s close with a photo of the ping-pong table in use, which also includes killer views of the Chicago skyline:
(Disclosure: Edelson McGuire is an Above the Law advertiser.)
The Edelson McGuire offices win points for distinctiveness. But our next contestant might be even more unique….
