🔒Flexibility, client connections are common themes in law office build-outs

For law firm Preti Flaherty, the evolving office environment was part of the thinking behind a major renovation at its downtown Portland headquarters.

Law firm Dentons had growth opportunities on its mind when it moved into the same building in June 2023.

Both firms are in newly appointed space in One City Center downtown.

Each firm sought to have comfortable and collaborative work areas for attorneys and clients, plenty of natural light and lots to see.

‘Cutting edge’ office space with nice view

Stunning views. Hybrid and collaborative workstations. An internal staircase connecting the top two floors. Layers of security.

Those were some of the outcomes of a year-long renovation project undertaken by Preti Flaherty, which has been headquartered at One City Center for more than two decades.

The goal? A future with a space that reflects the firm’s post-pandemic workplace changes and embodies what it characterizes as an evolving, collaborative and accessible work environment.

The firm — which occupies floors six, 12 and the top 13th floor — completed the makeover earlier this year, after a planning and construction process that began in 2021 and was driven by an upcoming lease renewal.

“We’ve been in this office space since 1998,” says Michael Smith, the firm’s managing partner. “When we moved here, it was a statement about the firm and our growth. And the office designed back then was state-of-the-art for that time — a lot of beautiful wood paneling, large corner offices, conference rooms.”

The lease renewal prompted the firm to think about the firm’s forward momentum — its growth, new leadership — and what a law firm could look like today.

“It was an opportunity to have a cutting-edge, modern office space,” says Smith.

One City Center was constructed in an area once known as the Golden Triangle for its prime location between Middle, Temple and Federal streets.

Preti is Maine’s second-largest law firm, with 77 attorneys in the state and a total of 134 employees, according to the 2024 Mainebiz Book of Lists. In addition to Portland, Preti has offices in Augusta, Concord, N.H., Boston and Washington, D.C.

Added security

The footprint on three stories was reduced from 47,000 square feet to 41,000, a reflection of modern trends such as the need for less onsite storage and smaller offices that encourage people to work in collaborative spaces.

A key change was the addition of layers of security.

Conference rooms and social and event areas are accessible to visitors from the building’s elevator. But attorney offices are accessible only through doors that are protected by an electronic security system.

“To gain entry to our files and offices, you have to scan yourself in,” Smith says. “Visitors wouldn’t be able to get in there. That’s a huge improvement securitywise.”

Preti Flaherty hasn’t experienced a security breach, he says. But generally speaking, it’s good to be proactive.

“We have attorneys working on a lot of sensitive material and we also want to ensure that our team members experience a safe and secure work environment,” he says. “We’ve never had a problem. But knowing that we won’t is really helpful.”

Appealing space

The makeover made the most of expansive views available from the building’s upper stories, which overlook the downtown business district and the harbor several blocks away.

Maximizing the views and natural light makes the space appealing for clients, guests and personnel, says Smith.

“When you walk into the penthouse now, where the reception area is, the first thing you see is the view of the ocean and the islands,” he says. “Before now, everything was more walled off.”

Gut job

The project, managed by Consigli Construction and designed by Visnick & Caulfield, involved gutting all three stories.

“We moved to temporary space on a different floor of the same building for about a year, while all three floors were worked on simultaneously,” says Smith.

Additions include hybrid and collaborative workstations, flexible conference and event space, shared and hoteling offices, meeting rooms and coffee bar and café areas. The layout accommodates a mix of hybrid and onsite work, less use of paper and need for storage, and new technology across the entire footprint.

‘Clean look’

New furniture and workstations were selected to be more uniform than before, lending a “modern, clean look,” says Smith.

The heating, cooling and ventilation infrastructure were improved and individual office controls were updated.

The building’s large exterior windows allowed the firm to bring natural light further inside by fitting up offices with interior glass walls.

“You can see through the walls and out the windows,” says Smith. “That’s a huge change.”

The layout includes a “wellness suite,” which has two private rooms with locking doors and comfortable chairs. It can be used as folks see fit, perhaps for time to relax alone or for a private phone call.

“That’s something we didn’t have before,” he says. “We’re really proud of that area.”

A larger café includes booths and tables that take advantage of the view; there are also kitchen facilities.

“It’s a much larger area for team members to gather and eat lunch and socialize,” says Smith. “We didn’t have a great area before. It’s not uncommon to see people eating their lunch and gazing out at the cruise ships.”

Smith credits the firm’s facilities team and IT department for getting everyone moved back into the renovated space without a hitch.

“Everyone was scheduled in advance,” he says. “An extraordinary amount of work went into that.”

The changes reflect an evolving culture of collaborative work within the office and with clients, with the goal of being more connected and accessible across geographic regions — and a return to the pre-pandemic environment, when meetings were held in person rather than online.

“The moment clients and visitors walk in the door, they comment on the view and how nice everything looks, almost without fail,” says Smith. “It‘s facilitated a desire to be here in person.”

At Dentons

“It’s been a really exciting project here,” says Andrew Helman, the managing partner for Dentons’ Portland office, located in 4,400 square feet of office space on One City Center’s 11th floor.

Dentons has more than 160 offices in more than 80 locations around the world. Boston was the closest location to Maine before the firm expanded to Portland in 2021, operating in a temporary office space for a period of time.

The Portland office works with clients in Maine and around the world.

“It’s been an amazing experiencing to live here while also connecting with colleagues and clients around the world,” Helman says.

Dentons moved into One City Center in June 2023.

“Portland is a growing city and businesses increasingly have not only local, regional and national needs but also global needs,” says Helman. “Having an office here allows Dentons to serve clients here and to attract top talent in this market.”

Since 2022, the firm has grown to 10 attorneys and five non-attorney employees, representing a mix of people who have grown up in Maine or have relocated to Maine.

“We’re able to provide lawyers with a unique opportunity to live and work in Portland while having a practice beyond area code 207,” Helman says.

The firm identified One City Center as a top choice for its permanent location after reviewing other options.

“It gives us the ability to be central to the city and to have the space we need as we grow,” Helman says. “It also has fantastic views.”

The office space was pretty much move-in-ready. Attractions included plenty of natural light. Fit-up included new carpeting and paint and the addition of workstations that have the option to sit or stand. There are features that have become standard, including docking stations, monitors and “interoperability.”

“All of our offices are designed to accommodate a range of work styles as we move forward,” Helman says.