Practice Management

I have always thought that the quickest and most surefire way to green up your home (if not your life) was simply to move your law office home.  This works for two reasons.  First, it seems to me, it substantially cuts your carbon footprint that is established through commuting to an outside office and all of the waste of having an outside office.  And, do not misunderstand what this means.  Cutting your carbon footprint also means cutting your overhead.

Second, of course, it allows you to concentrate on greening up your home.  In short, you can better direct your limited resources at a space that is used 24/7 by you and your family in a more effective way than spreading your limited resources of time, talent and treasure over a large landscape.

The recession, which is gripping the country, is likely to speed this process up.

The Seattle Times and The Washington Post seem to agree.  In an article entitled Recession may Redesign the American Home, the papers speculate (accurately I think) the public will come out on the other side of this downturn, having experienced declining home values, high debt, low retirement and other savings, demanding a different type of house and lifestyle.  This has been true in other downturns and at other times in our history.

The experts foresee a public demanding smaller houses, that might be closer together, but preserve privacy and a small taste of nature.  The houses will be simpler in many respects, including design, and will be be more cozy and more comfortable in which to live.  We will be looking at more affordable housing that is just simpler to maintain with more quality packed into the smaller space.  Homes will be greener and consume far less in utilities.

I also think that houses will be fiber optic ready.  They will be smart homes, and above all they will have well designed spec spaces in which to incorporate home offices.  These rooms will be more than spare bedrooms and basements or the throw away "library" that exists today.  These rooms might even be detached, but not far away from the existing structure.

The question is are you ready not to lose money or home value on this trend?