Steptoe is the first law firm to achieve Fitwel Certification

Law firms are increasingly focused on the environment they are providing their attorneys and staff. Driven by the impact of COVID-19, the importance of health and wellness in the office has become a critical issue for recruiting and retention. One firm, Steptoe, recently became the first US law firm to earn a Fitwel rating for its 300-attorney Washington, D.C., headquarters office and was pleasantly surprised to find that, after building out a Class-A law firm space, it qualified for the rating without a lot of additional changes.

Fitwel is a building rating system for existing and new buildings, including interiors, that provides guidelines on how to design and operate healthier buildings. In a matter of months, Steptoe secured a 2-Star Rating, which, on a scale of one to three stars, is roughly equivalent to a Two-Star Michelin restaurant.

Steptoe’s groundbreaking certification was based on a number of design and policy strategies that support the physical, mental and social health of its employees. These features include natural daylight throughout the majority of the workplace; sit/stand desks; staffed exercise room with showers; a bike storage room; a multi-purpose room for wellness activities; an indoor air quality policy; and one certified first responder per 100 people.

Savills Legal Tenant interviewed Vince Falcone, Steptoe’s Senior Director of Facilities and Administration, US Offices, and the firm’s outside advisor, Christopher Tacy, Senior Project Manager, Sustainability, with UL, about the process they went through and what was involved.