There
is
usually
a
fair
amount
of
politics
around
who
gets
which
office
at
a
law
firm. Sometimes,
a
dispute
arises
as
to
prime
locations
within
an
office,
and
other
times,
attorneys
may
fight
over
the
size
of
individual
offices. One
of
the
most
interesting
situations
occurs
when
a
retiring
partner
needs
to
give
up
a
prized
office
so
that
an
up-and-coming
lawyer
can
relish
the
trappings
of
success
at
a
firm. With
few
exceptions,
it
makes
sense
that
retiring
partners
would
give
up
their
offices
to
make
room
for
younger
lawyers
on
the
rise.
I
used
to
work
for
a
partner
that
had
an
amazing
office. The
office
was
probably
the
second-largest
space
at
that
firm.
Only
the
office
of
the
managing
partner
was
larger. You
could
tell
that
this
partner
had
occupied
this
particular
office
for
many
years. The
walls
were
adorned
with
old
pictures
and
mementos
of
the
lawyer
and
some
of
the
cases
he
had
worked
on
throughout
the
decades.
However,
this
particular
partner
got
to
a
point
where
he
would
only
work
at
the
office
a
day
or
two
a
week,
and
he
spent
his
other
time
on
different
pursuits. Indeed,
it
was
extremely
common
to
walk
by
the
office
without
the
lights
on,
which
was
some
kind
of
reminder
that
this
partner
did
not
show
up
that
often. As
a
result,
a
prime
office
(that
the
firm
was
presumably
paying
a
hefty
amount
of
money
for)
was
going
unused
most
of
the
week.
I
was
only
an
associate
at
this
shop,
so
I
was
not
privy
to
discussions
among
the
partners
about
who
should
occupy
which
individual
office. However,
one
day,
I
came
to
work,
and
I
noticed
that
the
majority
of
this
partner’s
stuff
had
been
moved
into
a
smaller
office
only
a
little
bigger
than
the
one
I
occupied
at
the
firm. The
possessions
barely
fit
the
smaller
space,
and
it
was
almost
comedic
to
look
at
the
cluttered
walls
and
desk
of
this
partner,
since
he
had
not
yet
decided
which
items
would
be
a
permanent
fixture
of
his
new
space.
I
could
tell
that
this
partner
was
bitter
about
his
new
situation. His
new
space
was
not
nearly
as
grand
as
his
old
office,
and
he
probably
thought
it
was
an
insult
to
be
office
demoted
in
this
way. Indeed,
this
partner
worked
less
and
less
at
the
office
until
he
eventually
left
the
firm
altogether.
However,
I
think
it
is
important
that
senior
lawyers
relinquish
their
offices
in
a
number
of
circumstance. If
a
partner
is
no
longer
arriving
at
an
office
as
much
as
in
the
past,
either
due
to
their
age
or
changing
interests,
they
should
be
open
to
relinquishing
their
offices. Seeing
a
dark
office
lay
unoccupied
can
impact
morale
at
a
law
firm,
and
a
partner
who
does
not
even
come
to
the
office
often
should
not
miss
their
coveted
office
too
much.
Moreover,
as
partners
move
out
of
roles
since
they
will
be
retiring
soon,
they
should
also
be
open
to
giving
up
their
prized
offices. Moving
to
a
more
modest
space
can
mentally
prepare
someone
to
leave
a
law
firm,
and
this
can
serve
as
a
vote
of
confidence
in
the
next
generation
of
law
firm
leaders. In
addition,
occupying
less
space
could
be
a
good
cost-saving
measure
that
can
benefit
the
bottom
lines
of
many
law
firms.
All
told,
it
can
be
awkward
and
indeed
painful
for
some
senior
lawyer
to
give
up
their
offices. However,
this
is
an
important
process,
and
law
firms
should
have
set
policies
about
this
issue
so
lawyers
are
not
surprised
when
it
comes
time
to
downsize
their
spaces.
Jordan
Rothman
is
a
partner
of The
Rothman
Law
Firm,
a
full-service
New
York
and
New
Jersey
law
firm.
He
is
also
the
founder
of Student
Debt
Diaries,
a
website
discussing
how
he
paid
off
his
student
loans.
You
can
reach
Jordan
through
email
at jordan@rothman.law.