1 Oct 2007
DLA Piper moves to new office space in Washington D.C.’s Penn Quarter
New Trophy Building at 8th and E Streets Gives Law Firm a Unique Identity and Accommodates Future Growth
Press Release
(Washington, D.C.) – DLA Piper US LLP announced today that the firm has moved into a new 10-story building at 500 8th Street, in the highly desirable Penn Quarter/East End neighborhood. As the building’s anchor, DLA Piper occupies more than 70 percent of the building, with 200,000+ square-feet of office space. The lease also provides options that will allow DLA Piper to expand its occupancy to the entire building over time.
The building features an entrance on 8th Street dedicated to DLA Piper personnel, clients and visitors, and a separate entrance on 9th Street for other tenants. Other DLA Piper-inspired features include a first-floor reception area highlighted by a dramatic ten-story interior atrium; an outdoor terrace with views of the National Portrait Gallery, the 1839 Tariff Building (now the Hotel Monaco) and the National Archives; plentiful natural lighting throughout; state-of-the-art conference center; and a café and coffee bar open to all employees and firm visitors. The Cohen Group, which provides global business consulting services and advice on tactical and strategic opportunities around the world, will also be relocating to the new building. DLA Piper has a strategic alliance with The Cohen Group, through which The Cohen Group helps clients locate, capitalize and achieve global business and strategic opportunities.
“With the move to this new building, DLA Piper gains an office identity that reflects our strong Washington presence and accommodates our future growth plans in this important market,” said Jay Epstien, chair of the U.S. Real Estate practice, who oversaw the entire lease, design and construction process for the firm. “We are pleased to have had the opportunity to work with our client, Boston Properties, a nationally recognized developer that has produced some of the finest quality buildings in Washington, D.C., New York and Boston, to create a unique building that gives us our own street-level identity and room for growth.”
Added Ann Ford, managing partner of DLA Piper’s Washington, D.C. office: “This premier office development puts us closer physically to Capitol Hill and the many regulatory agencies with which our attorneys routinely interact. With a host of unusual building features and amenities designed to house political events, conferences and related symposia, this space both geographically and architecturally supports the firm’s leading practices based in the market.”
The building is a classic design by premier architects Hartman-Cox. In a cooperative effort between DLA Piper and Boston Properties, the architectural design was customized so that the space was distinctly suited to satisfy DLA Piper’s needs. Lehman-Smith + McLeish represented DLA Piper in the design of the tenant space and the modifications to the base building architecture. To ensure the building is an active participant in the Arts District neighborhood, DLA Piper and Boston Properties also collaborated on a plan to commit significant first floor space to exhibit artwork.
The building is 100 percent leased to office tenants including Boston Properties and several retail tenants. In addition, the building will be home to the Washington Stage Guild in early 2008.
The 175 lawyers in DLA Piper’s Washington, DC office focus on Federal Affairs and Legislative, Real Estate, Corporate and Securities, Litigation, including Antitrust, Securities and White Collar, Government Contracts, Communications, E-Commerce and Privacy, Franchise and Distribution, Intellectual Property, Venture Capital and Emerging Companies, Biosciences, Environmental, Labor and Employment, and International Trade.
About DLA Piper
DLA Piper has 3,400 lawyers in 25 countries and 64 offices throughout the U.S., U.K., Continental Europe, Middle East and Asia. It has leading practices in corporate, finance, human resources, litigation, real estate, regulatory and legislative, tax, and technology, media and communications. In certain jurisdictions, this information may be considered attorney advertising.
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CONTACTS:
Jay Epstien, Chair, Real Estate Practice, DLA Piper, 202. 799-4100
Laura Miller, Media Relations, GreenTarget Global Group, 312.252.4104