Farewell to Dickensian gloom

Solicitors' firms must shed arcane images and outmoded working practices to function in the modern world

As London experiences a minor heatwave, it is hardly surprising that at least one City firm has turned its back on the musty, Dickensian, dark traditional offices of the past and embraced the modern, airy, sunkissed office space of the future.This week, we report on Allen & Overy's plans for a whole new approach not only to office space, but to wider working practices.

Initially, qualified (including partners) and administrative staff in one of its departments will sit side-by-side in open-plan harmony with support staff.

Of course, a new vernacular is required in this brave new environment, involving terms such as 'wireless land laptop' and 'docking stations'.Part of the aim is the 'democratisation' of the law firm office, but the move also represents another step on what seems the interminably long road to the 'paperless office'.Allen & Overy should be wished the best of luck in its move to modernity.

Working environments and practices are held dearly by staff, and any alteration can be fraught with difficulty.

The move will test the firm's people management skills to the full.

But solicitors' firms must shed arcane images and outmoded working practices to function in the modern world.With e-conveyancing in the offing, solicitors at every level are getting to grips with how IT is changing the way the law is conducted.

But the realisation that IT may also affect where - rather than just how - law firms practise seems to have lagged behind.

No longer, perhaps.