The Sydney partners of Corrs Chambers Westgarth are set to move into open plan office seating alongside their support staff and junior lawyers when the firm moves into its new offices at 8 Chifley Square next week.

Corrs has signed a 12 year lease at 8 Chifley and will occupy 10 floors of the Mirvac-built development. Other tenants include QBE, who will occupy four floors.

The move is being billed by Corrs as the first example of a major Australian law firm moving to a fully open plan environment. “[This] is a deliberate step away from the outdated concept of a ‘closed door’ office and hierarchical mentality,” said CEO John Denton. 

All Corrs staff, including Denton himself, will sit in open plan areas at work stations of identical size. Modest sized cabinets are provided at each desk and lawyers are expected to minimize their use of paper. “It will require a rethink of how you practice,” said Denton.

Other firms which have recently invested in new premises, such as Herbert Smith Freehills, have opted for a hybrid office layout which incorporates both open plan and personal offices. However, Denton said that such compromises tended to undermine the spirit of an open plan environment. “If you keep hierarchical symbols, you’ll never change,” he said. “Compromise doesn’t work – it becomes hierarchical.”

Denton admitted that the open plan scheme was not initially embraced by all stakeholders and that the implementation took “a little expenditure of political capital and a little bit of bruising.”

“We did have a vigorous debate about whether it would be too noisy or a disincentive for people to join the firm,” he said. “But if you’re going to be pioneering, you’ve got to live it.”  He added that he thought that the open plan would be an attraction for potential recruits because it provided an indication of the firm’s culture. “What people find most engaging about the firm is that we have a clear strategy, we are prepared to be different and we live up to that culture,” he said.

The firm has attempted to anticipate some potential issues with the open plan environment. Meeting rooms have been provided on a ratio of approximately one room per five persons, to ensure that there is adequate space for confidential discussions and conferences. Protocols are in place to prevent individual lawyers from “owning” particular meeting rooms. The building systems, such as air-conditioning, are expected to be completely silent and the firm expects that some form of ambient noise may need to be artificially generated if the environment proves to be too quiet.   

The size of Corrs’ tenancy – 8000 square metres – is similar to the firm’s previous tenancy at Governor Phillip Tower and Denton says that there has been no reduction of space in anticipation of any slimming down of firm headcount. He added that there were no plans to further reduce this year's graduate intake of 45 people, which was five fewer than last year.  “Firms have an obligation to continue developing practitioners,” he said.

Denton said there were no plans for “hot desking” which he described as creating unnecessary uncertainty. However, he conceded that the first few days of the move would be challenging. “The lived experience will be different from the contemplated experience,” he said. “There will be teething problems, but generosity of spirit is one of our qualities. We’ll get through it.”

Similar concepts are expected to be introduced in other cities as Corrs moves to new premises in Melbourne in 2015 and Perth in 2016.

8 Chifley was designed by UK architect Richard Rogers and Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners, known for their work on the Pompidou Centre in Paris, Lloyd’s of London and the Millennium Dome in London

The building’s outdoor area will be available as a “break out” space for staff  as well as for client entertainment, the firm has said.

The building has a 6 Star Green Star / 5 Star NABERS rating, with 129 bicycle racks provided. Staff will also be provided with personal lockers.

Corrs CEO John Denton at the new premises