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<\/a>Allen looked all over San Diego, and while she found some wonderful work spaces, nothing exactly fit the needs of the young lawyer. So she decided to launch her own space.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m trying to find a niche between the old law school firm model and the way I think people are going to start working in the future, which is in a more community-oriented environment,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Co-working began in the Bay Area about 20 years ago when groups of techies began congregating in apartments and lofts to create a computer community. The concept grew, and now industry leaders like Apple and Google have captured the idea. Employees have back-to-back spaces, sit in comfy chairs, and consult with their co-workers.<\/p>\n
Co-working was born.<\/p>\n
Allen said co-working has really grown in the past five to 10 years, but has taken a long time to reach the lawyering business. In her research for Enrich, she could only find two other legal co-working spaces in the country \u2013 in Denver and New York City.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe offer our attorneys the support but not the big law firm culture. I wanted a place where people could work independently yet maintain the community,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
It also helps solo practitioners \u2013 lawyers with their own practices \u2013 cut down on costs.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe practical reason I joined Enrich was I had the opportunity to split the overhead and keep the expenses down,\u201d said soloist Nikolas Djordjevski of NTD Law, who practices employment law.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s kind of like I\u2019m working at a law firm, but I still have my own business, too,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
But Djordjevski also likes the law firm feel, as well as the beautiful, casual environment of Enrich.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not dry and stuffy like a law firm,\u201d he said. \u201cI also like to be in a place surrounded by other very intelligent attorneys.\u201d<\/p>\n
Enrich offers solo practitioners eight private offices, and seven co-working spaces for a total of 15, but Allen said the office could expand to accommodate 25 attorneys. There is a large conference room that converts to a pingpong table, and a raft of enjoyable, non-legal books.<\/p>\n
Besides creating a beautiful, colorful open space for Enrich, Allen\u2019s heart seems to be in creating a community atmosphere. Enrich offers quarterly health classes, and also focuses on nutrition, cutting back on stress, and ergonomics.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re really encouraging lawyers to live healthy lives because if you\u2019re going to be a lawyer, it\u2019s hard work,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Thus, Enrich.<\/p>\n
Allen also offers classes in business development and financial success. Allen learned from her own try at working from home and having her own practice that developing a clientele was harder than she thought.<\/p>\n
\u201cI knew how to be a lawyer, but getting a client base and keeping a client base was much different,\u201d she said. \u201cIt was something that was so important to me that I wasn\u2019t going to wing it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Allen thinks her co-working model for attorneys is a concept that will grow. Because she\u2019s had such success since her March 1 opening, she\u2019s already thinking of expanding from her 3170 Fourth Ave. office space.<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of attorneys do enjoy working from home, but they also want that community, that sense of being engaged,\u201d she said. \u201cI think we are seeing a paradigm shift in the way lawyers work.\u201d<\/p>\n