What Law Firms & Accounting Firms Should Know 18 Months Before Their Lease Expires

If there’s one thing I’ve learned working with professional firms, it’s this:

Lawyers and accountants approach office leases very differently… but they both often wait too long to start planning. 

And yes, I can say that confidently because one of my sisters is a CPA and the other is an attorney; which means I grew up learning that one thinks every problem can be solved with a spreadsheet, while the other thinks every solution needs three more pages of fine print. Which is probably why commercial leases are so complicated… they combine both. 

The reality is this:

If your office lease expires in 18 months or less, you should already be evaluating your options. Not because you’re definitely moving. But because leverage disappears when time does.

Here are a few things professional firms should start thinking about long before the expiration date sneaks up on everyone.

1. Your Lease Expiration Date Is Earlier Than You Think

Most firms think:

“We still have a year and a half.”

In office leasing terms? That’s tomorrow.

For law firms and accounting firms especially, the decision-making process tends to involve:

• partners

• committees

• operations teams

• finance reviews

• IT considerations

• furniture discussions

• and at least one person saying:   “Can we just renew and avoid all this?”

The larger the firm, the longer the runway you need.

• Starting early gives you:

• negotiating leverage

• more relocation options

• better concession packages

• time to evaluate strategy instead of reacting under pressure

2. Hybrid Work Changed Everything (Even If Nobody Wants to Admit It)

A lot of firms are still carrying office layouts designed for 2018 staffing patterns.

Meanwhile:

• attorneys are hybrid

• accounting teams are flexible

• administrative footprints have changed

• recruiting expectations are different

• younger professionals want collaboration space, not rows of oversized offices from the fax machine era

The question is no longer:

“How much space do we have?”

It’s:

“How effectively are we using it?”

Some firms need less space. Some actually need better space.  Those are not the same conversation.

3. Your Landlord Probably Knows More Than You Do Right Now

That sounds harsh, but it’s true.

• Landlords track:

• market vacancy

• competing spaces

• tenant movement

• concession trends

• timing pressure

Most firms don’t start gathering that information until renewal talks begin.

That’s like showing up to court without reviewing the file.

Or filing taxes with a shoebox full of receipts and optimism.

(Again… my siblings prepared me to make these observations.)

4. The Market Has Shifted More Than Many Firms Realize

Depending on the market, tenants today may be negotiating:

• more free rent

• larger improvement allowances

• early renewal leverage

• flexible expansion rights

• parking concessions

• upgraded amenities

But those opportunities shrink when firms wait too long.

The best deals usually happen when tenants still have enough runway to create competition.

5. Office Decisions Are No Longer Just About Real Estate

Today, office strategy affects:

recruiting

retention

culture

client experience

operational efficiency

hybrid work policies

employee commute patterns

For law firms: Your office still communicates brand, credibility, and stability.

For accounting firms: Efficiency, flexibility, and team collaboration are becoming major drivers.

In both cases, the office is no longer “just overhead.”

It’s part of the business strategy.

6. Renewal Might Be the Right Answer: But Don’t Assume It Is

Sometimes staying put makes perfect sense.

Sometimes relocating creates:

major cost savings

operational improvements

recruiting advantages

better client accessibility

The key is evaluating the market before the landlord assumes you have no alternatives.

A well-negotiated renewal often happens because the tenant had credible options.

The Bottom Line

The firms that make the best office decisions usually start early, evaluate objectively, and avoid making rushed decisions six months before expiration.

If your lease expires within the next 18–24 months, now is the time to:

• review your current lease

• evaluate your space utilization

• understand current market conditions

• assess staffing and growth plans

• identify leverage opportunities

Because once the clock gets short, options tend to get expensive. And nobody likes expensive. Especially accountants! 

About the Author

I work with businesses to help them evaluate office space strategy, lease negotiations, renewals, relocations, and long-term occupancy planning, with a practical, business-first approach. 

And thanks to having both a CPA sister and an attorney sister, I’ve spent years unofficially mediating debates between “it depends” and “let me review the language first.”