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V O L . X X X N O. X X V I N OV E M B E R 1 8 , 2 0 2 4 16 L AW / P O L I C Y F or 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 comfort- able 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 collabor- ative workstations. An internal stair- case connecting the top two floors. Layers of security. ose were some of the outcomes of a year-long renovation project under- taken by Preti Flaherty, which has been headquartered at One City Center for more than two decades. e goal? A future with a space that reflects the firm's post-pandemic workplace changes and embodies what it characterizes as an evolving, collabora- tive and accessible work environment. e firm — which occupies floors six, 12 and the top 13 th floor — com- pleted the makeover earlier this year, after a planning and construction pro- cess 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." e lease renewal prompted the firm to think about the firm's forward momentum — its growth, new lead- ership — 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 e 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 visi- tors 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. at's a huge improve- ment 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 LAW FIRM fit-ups Flexibility and client connections are common themes in recent facility projects B y L a u r i e S c h r e i b e r Michael Smith, Preti Flaherty's managing partner, says extensive renovations of the headquarters embody an evolving, collaborative and accessible work environment. F O C U S P H O T O / T I M G R E E N WAY

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