They were nicknamed “paper tigers”, often immersed in a world of paragraphs, judicial commentary and ordinances. In former times, advocates often worked in cramped offices, surrounded by seemingly endless shelf-boards loaded with file folders, books and periodicals, hiding behind desks where piles of paperwork obstructed views of what lay behind. Visitors like clients, consultants or expert witnesses had to plow their ways around obstacles like file cabinets and along dark aisles.
But those are images of the past. In today’s world, modern law firms have switched to digital file systems - there is no need any more to reserve large amounts of space for the storage of reports, dossiers or other paper recordings. All the information and content is saved and processed electronically. The demand for space has diminished drastically. Laptops and smartphones are the most essential work tools for lawyers these days, in some cases supplemented by a fax machine, a scanner and a printer. Dr Henning Hartmann is a penal law solicitor in a Northern Berlin suburb – he has switched is office to a modern law facility years ago and is familiar with business center work environments: “The advantages are obvious – I can practically pack my office into my briefcase. In my line of work, there are still a few exceptions, but those are rare instances: For example, sometimes I have to have a power of attorney certificate signed by the client. That has to be sent to court by certified mail or dropped by personal appearance. But mostly, I can accomplish my duties without the need of much room – faster and more efficient than back in the old days. Business centers with their flexible lease terms allow me to spend time at my client’s place of residence as long as necessary. That way, I can suit my client’s needs better and even enlarge my customer base. I’m not limited to my home region. On top, my clients don’t have to travel to Oranienburg anymore, where I’m based – they can easily meet me in a conference room or office at a business center in another city like Berlin, Leipzig, Hamburg or Frankfurt.”
Dr André Helf, CEO of Collection Group, knows how important business centers have become for law firms: “COLLECTION Business Centers are very well-liked among lawyers, since we offer everything they need: Large and small offices, a perfect infrastructure with high-speed Wi-Fi and all other necessary devices, friendly reception service and conference rooms with state-of-the art presentation technology, including moving image screens as well as graphic animation platforms. There, experts and consultants can offer detailed explanations of any aspects relating to a case. Complex judicial matter often comprises international business law, contractual rights or questions regarding the expatriation of funds or tax allocations – which often translates into the need of entire teams to solve the challenges in a satisfactory fashion. Depending on the length of the processes, those teams are sometimes larger, at other times smaller: we accommodate our law firm clients in the most efficient way: They rent space according to their needs, both in terms of size as well as duration. At all COLLECTION Business Centers customers only pay what they use. Never more.”
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