Speech privacy is a common issue in law offices, where confidential or private information is regularly discussed. Unlike many commercial office spaces where lack of speech privacy is only a nuisance, there may be legitimate legal concerns in law offices specifically. Commonplace in healthcare and financial industries, sound masking provides a level of background white noise that minimizes cross-talk (speech spilling from one area to the adjacent space), and improves acoustic privacy and comfort.
Law Office Noise Issues
When offices are constructed with acoustic ceiling tile (i.e. 2’x2′ wide tiles suspended above your head), the demising walls generally terminate at the ceiling height. These thin tiles are not effective at preventing speech transmission from one office to the next (or into the adjacent corridor). This is where the installation of a sound masking system is necessary.
To determine if the walls go to deck above the ACT, simply get on a step stool or ladder and pop up one of the tiles near the wall. You’ll likely need a flashlight, but you’ll be able to see if the walls terminate at the ceiling grid, or if they go to deck. If walls the walls do got to deck, you might not notice a significant amount of sound flanking between offices, if they don’t that’s when your space will likely require sound masking.
Related: How Sound Masking Works
Law Office Sound Masking
Contrary to what one might think, sound masking is just as beneficial in closed office spaces as it is in open office spaces. When installed, balanced and tuned properly, the pink noise generated by the speakers works to “mask” any private conversations that could be flanking between offices through the drop-ceiling.
Board/conference rooms are of unique importance, since several clients may attend meetings on site at the same time, and may also support telecom capabilities. In these cases, using sound masking adjacent to the board rooms greatly reduces what can be heard on the exterior. The same level of security that is implemented to prevent loss of confidential information via IT security/hacks should also be implemented for acoustic privacy.
Speech Privacy for Law Offices: Confidential Discussions & Attorney-Client Privilege
Individual offices are also important, especially when it comes to attorney-client privilege. Even if unintentional, it’d be very serious if any privileged information between attorney and client became known because a law office did not have a sound masking system.
Even with sound masking in place, conference room and office doors should be supplemented with STC-rated door sweeps and seals. Along with drop ceilings, doors are the other main flanking path for sound in closed office spaces.
Benefits of Law Office Sound Masking
Sound masking greatly improves the speech privacy issues faced in law offices, where drop ceilings are very common. Where in some offices, the lack of speech privacy can be distracting, there could be legal problems if sensitive information is overheard in a law office.
If your office, library, or healthcare project has speech privacy or acoustic comfort needs, consider Commercial Acoustics’ sound masking systems to reduce distractions and improve tenant satisfaction.
