It’s ok to have a kip at White & Case’s Washington office
BNA Bloomberg report
Lawyers at White & Case in Washington can fall asleep at work without ruining their reputation. In fact, the firm encourages them to nap by maintaining a spa-like room with two “napping pods.”
Many technology firms have been offering this feature for a few years, but White & Case appears to be the first major law firm willing to give it a try.
“Partners have used it. Associates have used it. Staff has used it,” according to Frank Vasquez, a partner at White & Case in Washington. “I’ve used it.”
“When you walk into this room, it feels like a pleasant place to be,” Vasquez told Bloomberg BNA May 24. The room is painted a tropical green and has a fountain. The lights are dim, with illumination provided by Himalayan salt rock lights, which look like glowing stones. The two steel and fiberglass napping pods are separated by Japanese folding screens. “It think it turned out really well,” he said.
A committee of associate lawyers suggested the idea when the firm renovated its Washington office two years ago. People wanted “a relaxation place” and the firm called it “a wellness room” on the design plans, Vasquez said. “We really wanted to create spaces that people want to be in,” he said.
