Practice Management

In the individual practice of law, there are so many trends it is sometimes hard to know how to put them together.  There is the trend to move your practice-base home, there is the trend to downshift and move closer to town, there is the trend to green renovate older places that predominate older neighborhoods that are typically closer to town and court, and these places do not usually have a lot of space leading many to conceive of shed working.

The question is how do you bring it all together, because I suggest to you that now is the time to do it.  Now is the time, because contrary to popular belief, mortgage money is still available with a little down, and you can usually get sellers to pay much of this for you given the present market.  Mortgage prices are depressed and so you can get something you want or need at a price you can afford.  Green renovation is taking over and there are many national and state tax advantage you can get in renovating now.  Further, you can substantially increase the marketability and value of your property in doing so.  You can substantially reduce your cost of living and the high cost of your law practice all at the same time.  So, it does not make a lot of sense waiting.

In this regard, I came across this green home recently renovated by USGBC founder David Gottfried and his family that I think illustrates the point well.

This Craftsman bungalow built in 1915 turned out to be one of the highest-scoring green home renovation this year. It is LEED Platinum and it is designed to be net-zero energy.  It utilizes such technologies as solar photovoltaics and a solar- and hydronic-powered water heating system.  It captures rainwater for use in toilets and recycles graywater to maintain the landscaping.

Of course old bungalows do not have ample space, and one of the things that caught my eye was that the owners installed a Lifepod in the backyard, which is a 120 sf steel building with 50% fly ash floors.  You can see a video on the Lifepod BY CLICKING HERE.  This is the owners workspace, and all he has to get to work is a backyard commute.  Sweet.

This home is an unassuming 1440 sq. ft. space that houses a four-person family.  A perfect place for a home office warrior.