Lawyers have been successfully working in shared office spaces long before “coworking” became popular. The concept of partnership is something that lawyers are familiar and comfortable with, where they pool together their respective talents and strengths to offer clients a more complete solution. Administering an office is a time consuming and expensive exercise, and for lawyers for whom time is equal to money, it may not be worthwhile to take on the task and expense of setting up own facilities where there are private facilities/chambers available for rent. Hub and Oak has aimed to find a solution for lawyers who are starting their own independent practice, or lawyers who need a satellite office in Delhi and many others who would like elegant and luxurious office facilities at reasonable rates. Delhi is a city where the legal profession is highly competitive and there is a big distinction between the top most legal professionals and those who haven’t yet proven their mettle. Hub and Oak gives a unique advantage to lawyers to build excellent network in an exclusive environment. It enables lawyers from different fields, sectors and expertise to learn from the experience of others. It has also proven to be useful in generating cross referrals. Coming from a legal family, I understand that it’s the desire of every lawyer to have their own independent practice but only some dare to take on the challenge. Besides the obvious challenge of obtaining clients and building a practice, they need a significant start up fund to take a place on rent, pay the security deposit , furnish the place, hire admin and support staff which is just a ridiculous investment for a service oriented business. Lawyers also have very different needs to what a typical co-working space can offer, they need privacy and quiet, storage space for their files, meeting rooms, a place to meet and entertain their clients. Hub and Oak has reflected on the unique needs and challenges of lawyers and created an environment which is suitable to them.
