PIONEER SPIRIT Murray joined an architectural firm in 1979 and the first project that came up was at a big law firm, from which he learned about what law firms need and served as a jumping off point for other firms. “Lawyers love precedent.”

TRAILS BLAZED Murray started tracking metrics of other firms he’d worked with (and collecting information on firms he hadn’t) and formed one of the first law firm practices—mirroring how firms themselves do business. A tipping point came in the mid-1990s when a big firm hired Murray and his team to plan space for all their locations worldwide. “It was unique at that time, but there was mutual benefit. We didn’t need to reinvent the wheel and can build economies of scale.” Murray has since worked in 16 countries and his current firm, Jones Lang LaSalle, is in 68.

FUTURE EXPLORATIONS Murray says firms are more often using their offices to make a statement, and it is important to understand how and why and how they “brand” their space. “At the end of the day if you build space that supports their business and also says who they are, it’s pretty powerful.”

Chris MurrayJones Lang LaSalle

Connectors

Reprinted with permission from the December 16, 2013 Special Advertising Supplement of THE NATIONAL LAW JOURNAL © 2013 ALM Media Properties, LLC. All rights reserved. Further duplication without permission is prohibited. For information, contact 877-257-3382, reprints@alm.com or visit www.almreprints.com. #005-12-13-11

December 16, 2013