Design leader Unispace recently unveiled a new, art-filled downtown Los Angeles office for the global law firm Orrick. Tasked with strategy, design, and construction, Unispace created a space that highlights Orrick’s culture of collaboration and inclusion. “Orrick puts a premium on belonging and inclusivity. It’s part of their culture, which is unique for a law firm,” said Chely Wright, chief diversity officer at Unispace.
The architects focused on creating a space to inspire employees, while also making a positive community impact via art. Through Unispace’s Art for Impact (AFI) program, which connects businesses, artists, and nonprofits, the law firm was paired with Los Angeles-based contemporary artist Robert Vargas. A set of anchor murals by Vargas in the reception area sets the tone as staff and clients enter the 26,000-square-foot office. “L.A. is associated with Hollywood glamor, but also an urban grit. In the front-of-house these dark walls serve as the backdrop for these beautiful murals,” noted Marianne Weiss, Unispace design principal.
While the colors echo the vitality of the city, the murals reflect Orrick’s partnership with the nonprofit organization A New Way of Life (ANWOL), which provides services for formerly incarcerated women as they re-enter society. Weiss explained that after further discussion, they decided to curate a gallery of work from artists as diverse as the law firm’s attorneys. “In the final collection there are pieces from LGTBQ artists, transgender artists, those that are dealing with immigration issues, and those that are differently-abled. And the staff actually sees themselves represented in the office in a way that they hadn’t before.”
The Unispace strategy was centered on how employees would function in a truly hybrid environment, which began with sessions to learn about day-to-day job functions and varied lifestyles. “The meetings were a real voice for the people, not just the associates or the junior attorneys, but also the administrative folks. To drill down and really understand the experiences of a group of people, it’s not just one phone call. It takes several long conversations to build trust,” Wright noted.
An analysis of the findings found that Orrick employees were ready to embrace hoteling for hybrid work. The architects incorporated a blend of micro-offices and community sections—reducing the footprint by approximately 60 percent. The LEED Gold-certified project is one demonstration of Orrick’s prioritization of sustainability goals. “Orrick has made the commitment to go carbon neutral, and to do that they have to reduce,” Weiss said.
She added that inclusivity was extended to each of the spaces within the workplace via a lack of hierarchy, which is not often found in the legal profession.“Typically in a law firm, the partners are put on the perimeter. Here, there are no corner offices, and all of the offices for the attorneys are the same size. And then there are these collaboration spaces that sit in the middle where everyone can come together. There’s no longer that sense of division where you have the partner standing in the doorway talking to an associate.”
These areas were designed to foster working relationships among colleagues of all ages, as well as provide places for networking. “There has to be a reason, a purpose, for bringing people back into the office. This layout and these spaces promote a new kind of mentoring. And there is real value in younger generations being able to see behaviors modeled and learning on the job,” Wright said.
Even the color palette in the workplace was curated with a range of sensitivities in mind, rather than a smattering of logo-centric branding hues front and center. “Neurodiverse populations respond to color in different ways,” Weiss noted. “We chose a suite of nine colors and did blocks of offices in those shades. Some people want an all-white, incredibly calm room, while others want a little more vibrancy. So, we gave the lawyers options.”
Weiss also explained that pieces were selected for functionality but ar still relaxed, not strictly contract furnishings. “We really wanted to support different postures, so some of the collaboration spaces have an open feel that’s based on a hotel lobby, with lounge or sectional-type seating. And somebody can lie down on the sofa and read a brief if they want to. That was the kind of casualness they wanted to have in the office.”
Indeed, productivity and comfort can coexist, even in sectors that are considered too structured. Orrick’s L.A. workspace strikes an easy and enviable balance. “We are trying to set up versions of home at the office, and we are finding that we can have these different experiences. Things don’t have to be so formal, and that’s an exciting transformation,” Wright added.
