The New York Times Covers Kaye Scholer's Office Move
The New York Times recently reported on Kaye Scholer’s office move from 425 Park Avenue to 250 West 55th Street. The article, “So Little Paper to Chase in a Law Firm’s New Library,” recalled our 57 years at 425 Park, which the NYT had previously described as surely “one of the longer running commercial tenancies in the city,” where well-known legal figures like Milton Handler, former NYS Chief Judge Stanley Fuld and US Senator Abraham Ribicoff once walked the halls. Recounting the 39 lawyers that moved into 425 Park in 1957, Special Counsel William Zifchak said, “I’ve spent two-thirds of my life in this building. For old-timers, there is a sense of loss. But it was time for a change.”
Through the lens of our office move, The New York Times examined the evolution of modern law library. Although just one part of Kaye Scholer’s overall technology and information infrastructure overhaul, the modernization of our law library was no small feat. In fact, in 2013, led by Information Resource Center Director Shabeer Khan, Kaye Scholer became the first NYC based law firm to implement a fully digital legal library, recreating our core collection in a cost effective and highly efficient manner and enabling us to continue to achieve the highest levels of excellence in client service.
“[This process] tells you everything you need to know about law libraries,” said Co-Chair of the Firm’s Executive Committee and Real Estate Department Stephen Gliatta, referring to the elimination of nearly 95% of our hard copies. As the NYT story noted, the effort decreased our shelf space from 10,000 square feet to 700 linear feet. “The whole move was a good exercise in forcing people to discard what they don’t need any longer,” Gliatta concluded.
Kaye Scholer’s new office reflects the firm’s commitment to and investment in our future: a streamlined, more agile firm better able to help clients adapt to and benefit from the changes the 21st century brings. In addition to the digitization of the library, our IT department has worked hand in hand with Facilities and our outside designers to seamlessly integrate technology throughout the office, from improved WiFi access and smart phone reception to oversized video screens and the most current audio-visual technology. These advances, among many others, enable us to work more effectively with clients, as well as our colleagues throughout the Kaye Scholer network.
