Alston & Bird will consolidate its 450 attorneys in the city, relocating many from Atlantic Center Plaza, which will make One Atlantic Center its official Atlanta headquarters. The lease term will be reset for 18 years, beginning in the fourth quarter of 2010.
Alston & Bird was represented in lease negotiations by Andrew Ghertner, Ian Henderson and John Izard of Cushman & Wakefield of Georgia. Hines, a real estate firm that agreed to the expansion, was self-represented by John Heagy, Mark Ferris and Tori Kerr.
“Hines’ agreement with Alston & Bird marks a significant achievement for this landmark tower,” Heagy, senior vice president for Hines Southeast, said. “The law firm’s consolidation commitment to the property boosts our overall occupancy to 90 percent – an achievement we are all quite proud of in this challenging economic time. Alston & Bird’s long term commitment further establishes One Atlantic Center as one of Atlanta’s premier business addresses.”
Mark Rusche, a partner with Alston & Bird who handles the firm’s space needs nationwide, said, ” We believe this property is one of the iconic buildings in the nation. It is ideally located in the vibrant Midtown area, with great access to MARTA, the I-75/I-85 Connector, hotels, restaurants, Piedmont Park and the Airport. The quality ownership and management team at Hines was also an important factor for us.”
With 800 attorneys, Alston & Bird is a leading national AmLaw 100 firm. The firm’s core practice areas are intellectual property, complex litigation, corporate and tax, with national industry focuses in health care, energy, financial services and public policy.