Making the Firm Your Own Space

Alvin Tang
Nov 22, 2024
2 min read

Updated: Oct 7

How time flies! It’s been almost a year since I started my own firm.

When I first considered this new venture, I thought that the biggest task would be finding a suitable office. Indeed it was. From memory, we checked out at least 15 different buildings in almost every part of KL - some of which were suspiciously haunted! Eventually, we settled on a brand spanking new building nestled in the heart of town, along the embassy row.

But the biggest challenge was turning the empty space into a collaborative and engaging work space. For me, this was personal; lawyering in itself is a stressful profession and a supportive environment is essential. As one of my lawyers said – I’m finally moving into my own house, not just someone else’s home like before!

So, how should the design be? What should the look and feel be?

I decided to be unconventional. I wanted an office that didn’t look like a typical law firm. Instead, I wanted to have a casual environment that wouldn’t scream of stress and oppression. I envisioned a nook in the corner as a café (rather than a pantry) for lawyers and staff to unwind. All in all, I wanted a non-law firm vibe.

Recently, discussions with friends contemplating starting their own firms brought back memories of the decisions I made. Some had difficulty visualizing the gibberish I mentioned above. So I thought I should take this opportunity to share the eventual outcome of my vision and emphasise the importance of making the firm feel like your own space.

NB: Credit for all the actual design ideas and implementation goes to my lovely wife, who spent months making this happen.