THE Law Society is on the move after selling its building at 33 Barrack Street.
The society will relocate to 89 St Georges Terrace, with major changes in store for the staff, who will have to adjust to life in a very new office environment.
In Barrack Street the staff was spread over seven floors, one of the issues that eventually prompted the sale of the building.
It’s understood the building was sold for $1.25 million, however only a proportion of the proceeds of the sale will go to the Law Society.
Law Society president Clare Thompson said the society had a 25 per cent share in the building, and the decision to sell was driven by a number of factors.
It’s understood the building was sold to Port City Investments.
“The Law Society had a 25 per cent interest and 75 per cent was owned by the Public Purposes Trust,” Ms Thompson said.
“We decided it wasn’t good commercial business to own buildings and have with it all the other issues.
“We wanted to move to a premises where we are all on one floor.”
The building on Barrack Street didn’t deliver as a business investment for the society, but the need for a greater flow of information between departments has also played a central role.
The Perpetual Trustees Building will enable the different departments to sit side by side, allowing for greater exchange of information.
It’s a big move for the employees, who are accustomed to having their own private office space, however the benefits are well documented.
The new space is undergoing a refit put together by Edge Inarc.
“We used Edge Inarc to assist in identifying a new premises and we’ve retained them for the refit,’ Ms Thompson said.
The process of finding a new location was complicated by the society’s desire for a large floor plate without any pillars.
We needed somewhere with sit down capacity for 120 people without any pillars,” Ms Thompson said.
“We also wanted something central within about five or 10 minutes’ walk of all the law firms.
“And something that would suit the image of the society, something prestigious and not glitzy.”
