Introduction
Lee & Thompson is one of the UK’s leading law firms for the media, technology and creative industries with an international client base working across all creative sectors.
Their previous office was dated and comprised four floors and segregated office space. As their lease expired, Lee & Thompson saw the opportunity to change and build an office space more suited to the way in which they work and interact with their clients. They wanted an office environment that was open and fostered better collaboration. An office that reflected the creative nature of their clients but also suited the unique requirements of a law firm.
The space required excellent video conferencing facilities, so it could accommodate hybrid working and reduce the amount of travel, increasing work-life balance, reducing costs and contribute towards environmentally-friendly working practices. The video conferencing facilities also allow them to host webinars and training sessions internationally, connecting clients and contacts.
The new office, with its “Members Club” feel, delivers the client vision and has revolutionised the way they work.
The solution we delivered
Divisible boardroom
Meetings at Lee & Thompson typically involve a mix of in-room and remote participants. While Zoom is common in the creative industries, Microsoft Teams is their primary platform, so MVS designed a solution that supports both.
When divided, the space operates as two separate 12-person rooms: one Zoom Room and one Microsoft Teams Room. When opened up, the room can be configured to face either the Zoom or Teams end as required.
A ceiling-mounted sensor detects when the room is opened. When meetings start, speakers and microphones in both areas automatically connect to provide a seamless experience across the entire space.
Both rooms are equipped with 75” LG professional displays, Shure MXA710 ceiling microphones, Bose pendant speakers and wide-angle Huddly HD cameras. The Zoom Room uses a Crestron Flex Zoom Integrator kit, while the Teams Room is powered by a Yealink MVC400 system.
Three Microsoft Teams meeting rooms
Hybrid working is central to Lee & Thompson’s operations, making these small Teams meeting rooms essential to day-to-day productivity.
From day one, these rooms have been in high demand. Each space features an LG professional display. One room uses a Crestron Flex Teams Kit, while the other two are equipped with Yealink MVC400 Microsoft Teams Room systems.
Town Hall area
The Town Hall is a highly flexible space used for everything from lunch breaks and informal gatherings to parties, formal events and all-hands meetings.
Located next to the divisible boardroom, the area can be expanded further by opening the side walls. When this happens, AV systems across both spaces combine automatically, allowing meeting visuals to be repeated on the Town Hall display and audio to be routed to the Town Hall pendant speakers.
For this large, multi-purpose space MVS installed an 86” LG commercial display, QSC pendant speakers and two subwoofers to extend audio coverage. Handheld wireless microphones support audio conferencing when required.
A SONOS Port, installed in the central AV rack on the client network, allows users to connect via the SONOS app for background music playback.
Ultimately, the only thing limiting how this space is used is imagination.
What Lee & Thompson can do now
The office move was a key part of a change in working practices and culture for Lee & Thompson. The space has been beautifully designed to facilitate better productivity and AV plays a huge part in the change.
Working with remote colleagues and clients all over the globe is now much easier and we’re delighted to have played our part working together with The IT Team at Lee and Thompson.
Quote: – On a post installation site visit and referencing the Microsoft Teams Rooms, Head of IT, Rob Hilton said “10/10. They just work!”
