Field Fisher Waterhouse First Major International Law Firm to Open Virtual Office
April 26th, 2007 by Benjamin Duranske
The TimesOnline reports that UK law firm Field Fisher Waterhouse yesterday became the first major, international law firm to establish a presence in a virtual world. Field Fisher Waterhouse has nearly 300 attorneys based out of offices in Brussels, Hamburg, and London — and now, Second Life.
Field Fisher Waterhouse has created an attractive, modern, in-world office building (SLURL below) that takes advantage of Second Life’s building tools better than one might expect of a major corporate law firm trying to grab the bleeding edge.
The office features lots of green glass and exposed beams, efficient conference rooms and client meeting areas, attractive outdoor landscaping, pleasing modern art, two fishtank walls, a balcony for post-deal cocktails, and of course, a lobby with lots of information about the firm. If there is anything to criticize, it is only that the lobby is, for now, somewhat anachronistically dotted with what appear to be cardboard information placards, though the information could easily be moved to the building’s many LCD panels and terminals after the opening festivities conclude.
A number of solo practitioners and smaller law firms have established presences in Second Life, but the larger international firms have, until now, stayed away. VB congratulates Field Fisher Waterhouse for taking this step. Although FFW will almost certainly not retain its position as the only major, international law firm in a virtual world for long, it will always be able to say that it was the first.
Virtually Blind is seeking an interview with FFW partner David Naylor (who has the Second Life avatar ‘Solomon Cortes’) and hopes to bring readers more details on FFW’s decision to enter this space shortly.
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