As the calendar turned to 2013, law firms across the country began working on plans to relocate offices, merge with other firms and expand current locations.
Cooley and its 80 lawyers based in Washington, D.C. began 2013 by moving into the city’s Warner Building, according to a report from The Am Law Daily. The Washington Business Journal said that Cooley ended its lease at 777 Sixth Street N.W. in Chinatown when it moved. The new location provides Cooley with 30 percent more space.
Earlier this week in D.C., Arnold & Porter announced that it signed a 20-year lease in the Penn Quarter neighborhood with Boston Properties. The new location, at 601 Massachusetts Avenue, is going to be brand new construction. The firm said it plans to move into the location in the fall of 2015. The building on the property now houses National Public Radio.
Firms in D.C. have been busy, as Patton Boggs signed a 15-year lease extension for its current location in Washington’s West End neighborhood. The law firm is planning to remodel its headquarters, where they have been since 1978.
In December, Linklaters
In the month of December, Goodwin Procter signed a letter of intent to move its Boston headquarters to the South Boston waterfront. The firm just ended its 100th year of practice. The Am Law Daily spoke with the firm’s head of the real estate leasing practice, Alexander Randall, who said, “The issue for us is that our space . . . is not built for the law firm of the 21st century, if you will. It must have been designed by people who didn’t want to be found.”
In a press release, the mayor of Boston, Thomas M. Menino, said the following: “With five of eight buildings in various stages of development, Fan Pier embodies the spirit of innovation and progress that is underway on the waterfront. This is another major step forward for a project that has celebrated significant progress all year long. The Fallon Company has done a tremendous job of attracting premier companies to this emerging neighborhood. Goodwin Procter, with its prestigious global reputation, forward-thinking business approach and expertise across all sectors of the law, including technology and intellectual property, is a welcome and fitting addition.”
Kaye Scholer signed a 20-year lease on a building still being constructed in Manhattan at 250 W. 55th Street. The firm plans to move into the building sometime in 2014.
Kirkland & Ellis has moved into a small building at 3330 Hillview Avenue in the Stanford Research Park in Palo Alto.