Bar centers have historically been an essential part of bars’ identity—a place for attorneys to gather for meetings, attend CLE seminars, and connect with other members. The COVID-19 pandemic upended most of those functions, which left many bars struggling to figure out a new purpose for their space. Nearly 1 out of 7 voluntary state bars have moved in the last three years, while nearly 20% of all bars have considered moving.
October 02, 2024 Vol. 46, No. 5
Rethinking Bar Spaces: How Bars Are Transforming Their Offices to Engage Members and Staff
By Rachel Ellett and Nick Hansen
The Data
According to the 2022 State & Local Benchmarks Survey, 86% of mandatory bar respondents either owned their space or were in space owned by the bar foundation. In contrast, 51% of local bars rented from an outside agency. But in an era of competitive commercial rents, this doesn’t offer a simple explanation for why bars are considering moving.
Our data highlights what we already know—chronic budget constraints and post-COVID 19 remote work trends have forced bars to be creative in how they think about the work they do, where they do that work and how they can stabilize future costs and revenue. For bar respondents in the 2023 NABE Compensation and Benefits survey 35% anticipate an increase in expenses and a 26% decrease in revenue for the upcoming fiscal year and ‘downsize office space’ was the third most chosen budget action over the last two years.
Cost savings may come through renegotiating a lease or through downsizing to a smaller footprint. Smaller footprints become feasible through a combination of shrinking or stabilizing staff size and remote work trends or policies. The 2023 NABE Compensation and Benefits survey found that only 37% of respondents had ‘most staff’ working in the office.
Yet, as the bar stories below highlight, an association office isn’t just a ‘space’, it is an extension of the organizational brand and mission. Some local bars may have their office in a government building or courthouse, and this has symbolic significance and access considerations. Bars want their members to feel welcome and to come into their space because it helps strengthen a sense of belonging and community and improves overall retention and engagement.
To find out the stories behind the data we talked to a range of bars—local, state and national affinity—to hear their stories and rationale for changing their physical space.
New Benefits for Members
How does the Columbus Bar Association get members into their space? “We lure them in with a headshot,” said CBA executive director Jill Snitcher. The CBA created a media studio during the height of the pandemic to help serve their members. Initially, CBA Media Director Kelley Marchand used the space to produce recorded CLEs and livestream events.
Eventually, the CBA recognized that this could be an opportunity to engage members in a new way. “Everyone needs to market themselves online and we wanted to help our members do that,” said Snitcher. With the end of their lease coming up, a priority for their new bar space was to engage members and provide a professional multimedia studio for member use. The new multimedia studio is capable of hosting professional photo shoots, videography projects, and podcast recordings, which has provided new ways for attorneys and firms to engage with the bar—and provide a valuable non-dues revenue source.
Make it Easy for Members
With hybrid work now the norm, popping into the bar office is far lower on the priority list for members. Snitcher wanted to change that and make sure the bar office was a desirable and accessible place to visit. The old CBA was inconvenient, Snitcher reports. “It added time to our members’ day to come visit us.” The CBA’s new space is on ground level in the trendy Arena District, close to nearby restaurants and the Columbus Blue Jackets’ hockey arena. Snitcher has noticed an increase in office foot traffic as a result of the move.
The Louisville Bar Association had a similar issue; members were not eager to visit. Nestled among historic “Museum Row” and “Whiskey Row” in downtown Louisville, the Louisville Bar Association often looked like it was closed, admitted Executive Director Kristen Miller. Members weren’t coming in for lunchtime CLEs, and the rooms facing the pedestrian-heavy downtown weren’t in use as often. Staff were crammed into cubicles in the back. “We were doing disservice to our members, our staff, and downtown,” said Miller. “We’re supposed to be a community asset.”
Discussions reconsidering use of the space started in early 2022. While there was some discussion about moving, the board swiftly decided that they wanted to invest in their “trophy corner” of downtown. Miller said that one of the big questions for the board was, “What is the highest and best use of this space?” Considering the new era of hybrid work, the LBA moved all their lunchtime CLEs online, thereby freeing up the 120-person conference area. They also moved the bar’s entrance to the Main Street side of the building and added amenities for members who want to stop in and work—tables, reliable internet, and private rooms for calls. The LBA also added a mini-conference center, which can be rented out, and developed partnerships with local coffee shops and the hotel to provide working space.
Most importantly, Miller wanted the space to be a place that everyone wanted to come in to. “We wanted to make it usable and functional and put more members in it,” said Miller. “We’re kind of a community center for all legal communities.”
Make it Easy for Staff
Four respondents to the 2022 Benchmarks survey had eliminated their office space altogether and for many the effects of COVID-19 were a catalyst for change . During the initial throws of the pandemic and lockdowns, the National Association of Women Lawyers (NAWL) saw that their lease (a sublet within the ABA Chicago office building) was up. While staff had already been working remotely, NAWL ED Karen Richardson decided to experiment with remote working before they signed another lease, “Once we experimented with it for six months to a year, once we understood how it worked within our staff and our members, we've made it a permanent decision.”
As a national bar, Richardson found the pivot to a full-time remote to relatively easy. “Getting rid of our physical space didn't interfere with any services our members were getting from us,” said Richardson. NAWL now has six staff members, with some based in Chicago, but others based all over the country.
Like many other bars, the Indiana State Bar Association (ISBA) considered a change as the end of its lease approached. COVID-19 clarified what the ISBA wanted in a new space—more flexibility. “Staff was never going to return to the office five days a week,” said ISBA Executive Director Joe Skeel. The bar did consider moving to a completely remote working environment. However, members still wanted to gather in person for CLEs, meetings, and socials. “There were just enough unknowns at the time to not feel completely comfortable moving away from a brick-and-mortar space,” said Skeel.
In the end, the board approved a move a few blocks away to the Capital Center building in downtown Indianapolis. The new space was about half the size of the old location. Staff cubicles and offices were replaced with meeting room areas. ISBA staff now come in once a week on Tuesdays to collaborate, take part in staff meetings, professional development, and other work that can’t easily be replicated in a hybrid setting. “It’s about teamwork, being in the same place, water cooler conversations, face-to-face interactions and meetings that we think are important to our culture,’ said Skeel.
Being deliberate about creating a connected culture was something Richardson had to work on. Through weekly check-ins, encouraging collaboration, and having an “open door” policy throughout the day has helped staff members feel connected, even if they aren’t next to each other physically. NAWL still puts on three major conferences a year, which gives the team a chance to connect personally. The organization has onboarded three new people since changing to a fully remote set-up. “We're still working together, folks are still performing at a really high level, still understanding our culture and continuing to like build it and it's thriving,” said Richardson.