Law firm moves into unique, open office space | REJournals.com

Although I’m not sure how advantageous a roof deck meeting area will be in Chicago during the winter months, I still love this example of an innovative working environment. This sort of flexibility and creativity goes a long way to improve morale but may not be immediately quantifiable.

Chicago lawyer Michael Childress conducted four meetings Wednesday on the rooftop deck of his law firm’s new offices.

The outdoor deck on the 13th floor at 500 N. Dearborn Street also serves as a lunch spot for employees of Childress, Duffy, Goldblatt Ltd.

“We had a happy hour up here kind of spontaneously,” Childress said, adding that a Friday night movie event on the deck is planned.

During the coming months, a “tagging” event is expected. Teams of employees will be set loose with spray paint cans to cover sections of the deck in whatever designs they want to create, Childress said.

The firm, which concentrates its practice on representing policyholders in insurance disputes, moved to the new location in early April. After working with a broker, the firm relocated from an office building about a block west from 515 N. State, where employees could see the roof deck from the 22d floor, Childress said.

“We looked at [the] building that had a roof deck,” partner Joel N. Goldblatt said. “That caught on and resonated.”

The move allowed for a more open layout in which partners share offices, while associates and staffers work side-by-side rather than in cubicles.