Law firms no longer ascribe to a stodgy aesthetic and the new Austin offices of Munsch Hardt Kopf & Harr PC prove that.

The Texas-based practice moved its staff of 11 attorneys and seven support employees to the new Colorado Tower Aug. 3.

The 14,768-square-foot offices on the 26th floor showcase Austin's changing skyline, and Lady Bird Lake views refresh the mind and spirit with a glimpse.

The space is a far cry from the more grandiose vibes at their former digs at Frost Bank Tower on Congress Avenue. Munsch Hardt had subleased it seven years ago, and it was what it was.

When that sublease was growing to maturity, however, the Austin shareholders decided to move to the Colorado Tower under construction at 303 Colorado St. — and make the space fit them more to a "T."

They engaged Marc Bove with the Bommarito Group to handle the design.

The new offices are laid out in a far different fashion from the hierarchy of old guard design. Gone are big law libraries — everything's digital now. Also out — grand offices for the senior partners and cubbyholes for the junior associates.

In the new world, square footage is doled out on an egalitarian basis. Plus, collaboration spaces of different sizes and atmospheres provide ample relief for litigators who need levity and conversation now and then.

Munsch Hardt CEO Phil Appenzeller Jr., who is based in Dallas, is delighted with the outcome. He brought shareholders from both Dallas and Houston to Austin to show off the new digs.

They are probably a little jealous, he conceded.

"We anticipate that we're going to grow, so being downtown is really attractive (for recruiting)," Appenzeller said.

Click here to view the photos and read the article in the Austin Business Journal's Real Estate Inc.

By: Jan Buchholz