Well-known management consultant Rees Morrison suggests that law departments Keep your lawyers on the same floor! Is that right?
Morrison cites a Harvard Business Review article that finds “employees who work on different floors interact 50% less than those who work on the same floor.” It’s even worse for folks in different buildings.
I don’t agree with his conclusion that companies should keep their lawyers on the same floor. If proximity matters so much, then inhouse lawyers should sit near key clients.
More importantly, companies must overcome the geographic bias. I’ve thought a lot about working virtually (article, update blog post). Granted, there is no substitute for in-person interaction. But with so many articles about “marketing as a conversation with customers” and about letting your customers innovate for you, isn’t it time for lawyers to join the rest of the world in collaborating virtually?