Barnes & Thornburg is pleased to announce the expansion of its downtown Chicago office, marking the city’s largest law firm lease transaction to date this year, according to Savills.
Under the agreement, the firm’s office at One North Wacker will grow by 30 percent, spanning 96,000 square feet and occupying floors 42 through 45 of the Irvine Company’s trophy tower. This lease transaction establishes Barnes & Thornburg as the only law firm occupying over 75,000 square feet to expand in downtown Chicago in the last 24 months.
“Our One North Wacker office has long served as a crucial hub for collaboration and innovation among our attorneys, business professionals, clients, and community partners,” said Michael A. Carrillo, managing partner of Barnes & Thornburg’s Chicago office. “This new, expanded space will help us foster even more in-person connection, bringing our legal capabilities and service to the next level.”
The firm’s Chicago office has grown to over 135 attorneys and is one of the 25 largest law offices in Chicago. It is also the firm’s second-largest office, following Indianapolis. The new space on floor 45 will provide a variety of new amenities, including an additional conferencing center, to accommodate further growth.
“Chicago businesses are facing increasingly complex legal and regulatory hurdles,” said Andrew J. Detherage, firm managing partner. “Not only will this new lease extend our commitment to innovation and collaboration and help our attorneys provide the robust and sophisticated counsel needed to tackle such challenges, it will also deepen our footprint in a market critical to the firm’s long-term growth strategy.”
Savills led the market search and lease negotiations on behalf of Barnes & Thornburg. The process was managed by Savills vice chairs John Goodman and Eric Feinberg and managing directors Brandon Nasatir and Isabel (Preskill) Schwartz.