Law firm Nixon Peabody is the third major law firm that has announced intentions to move its D.C. office. Nixon Peabody has about 170 attorneys and staff who will all pack up and move four blocks north to the corner of Ninth and H Street NW, adjacent to City Center D.C. Nixon Peabody is currently located at 401 Ninth St. NW in Penn Quarter and their current lease is up in 2015. They plan to move their offices to a 10-story building owned by Brookfield Office Properties. D.C. managing partner Jeff Lesk said that the property, which is undergoing renovations, was previously leased by the federal government.
The move represents a significant downsizing for Nixon Peabody, who ranked 66th on Fortune Magazine’s Best Companies to Work for in 2008. Several major law firms in Washington D.C. have reduced square footage recently. Lesk stated that his firm’s reduction is more dramatic than most.
Nixon Peabody is a global law firm whose clients include emerging and middle-market businesses, national and multinational corporations, financial institutions, public entities, educational and not-for-profit institutions, and individuals. According to The Washington Post, this is the third major law firm that has announced their intentions to move to the vicinity over the next two years including, Covington & Burling, the District’s largest law firm, which has signed a lease to relocate to City Center D.C. in summer 2014. Arnold & Porter also plans to move nearby, to 601 Massachusetts Ave., in October 2015. They are working with architects at Perkins + Will to renovate the area, in hopes of earning a gold or platinum LEED environmental rating.
“This is driven in significant part by having a realistic reset in what’s appropriate real estate spend for a top notch law firm,” Lesk said. “We think it can be significantly less. . . the traditional square footage is not necessary to do a great job serving clients and providing a great workspace.”