Why is it so hard to get rid of squatters in Philadelphia, but so easy to get rid of deadbeat tenants?

Squatters? Yeah, we’ll get right on that…

Imagine this… you’ve been a landlord for years, and have become quite well versed at evicting tenants who don’t pay their rent.

You purchase a new property. But when you open the door and find people living there. They don’t have a lease, the place reeks of urine, and there is a giant dog who looks like it’s going to bite your face off. You tell everyone to get out, and they laugh at you. Is that a needle on the floor?

What’s going on here? This is your property, they’re trespassers, and this is illegal! So, you call the police, who show up at your property.

Shared Office Space for Lawyers? Can You Ethically Run a Law Practice Out of WeWork?

Rushie Law PLLC World Headquarters

My, how the world has changed in just a few years…

In 2017, all my law books are on my iPad / Kindle, I use Uber to get downtown, and my faxes convert to .PDF and are sent to my email account. My files are all saved to Google Drive, meaning I can access them anywhere. My office voicemails are converted into an audio file, transcribed, and also sent to my email. Large documents are now sent to courts and opposing counsel on flash drives (or better yet, I just email them a link to my Google drive), and almost all of my filings are electronic. I have become a master at editing .PDF files. Some days it feels like my entire practice is run from my Macbook Pro, and the only things I need are a good scanner, printer, Adobe Acrobat, and stationary.

Transportation has also changed the nature of law. Client is too badly injured to make it to my office? No problem, I’ll take an Uber out to their place halfway across the City. Worried the client can’t make it into court? I’ll have an Uber pick them up and take them to the courthouse.

Suddenly, the whole world feels smaller and more accessible…

As technology shifts, I have found that the need for a huge office dwindles day by day. In 2014, I was paying $2500 a month plus U/O taxes for office space. My space was huge. It had a private conference room, a dedicated administrative room with filing cabinets, a giant printer, and supplies. The cost did not include the additional costs of coffee, paper, etc. It also did not take into account the man hours of simply having to gauge what supplies we had, what supplies we need, and keeping everything in check. We’re out of coffee? Someone has to run to the coffee shop. Jordan just printed out a gigantic court filing and we’re out of paper? That needs to be addressed stat.

In 2016, I decided to give shared office space a try. Many of you have asked me what it’s like, and whether it would work for your practice. I can’t answer that. But here is a day in the life of Jordan Rushie…