Lawyerly Lairs: Weil Gotshal to Brooklyn, Paul Weiss to… Bus Terminal?
In Lawyerly Lairs, we follow the real-estate moves of leading lawyers and law firms. The focus is typically residential. For example, last year we visited the Park Avenue apartment of this year’s commencement speaker at Georgetown Law, Joel Klein.
But every now and then, we go commercial, and write about law firm offices. E.g., Cleary Gottlieb; Gibson Dunn; Cravath.
Today’s featured tenant: Paul Weiss. From the New York Observer:
High-powered law firm Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison is in negotiations with Vornado Realty Trust for more than one-third of the tower planned for atop the Port Authority bus station, a move that, if cemented, would extend the legal establishment’s apparently inexorable drift westward from the white-shoe stronghold of midtown.A source close to the negotiations confirmed that Paul, Weiss is in serious, though early, negotiations to take 500,000 square feet in the middle of the 42-story building slated to rise from a platform atop the seedy bus terminal.
Seedy is right — but there are advantages to being based at Port Authority. Check out this list of shops and restaurants. It will be easy for beleaguered associates to slip away to Duane Reade, to fill that prescription for anti-anxiety medication. And lavish lunches at Munchy’s Gourmet — second floor, South Wing — will seal the deal for PW recruits.
Meanwhile, another top law firm is venturing beyond midtown. Also from the Observer (which covers the commercial real estate world as thoroughly as we cover Biglaw):
The largest tenant in the GM Building is relocating a portion of its operations from the gilded midtown tower to the decidedly humbler environs of downtown Brooklyn.Weil, Gotshal & Manges, a global law firm with a New York staff of 1,300, has signed a lease for 35,000 square feet at Brooklyn’s 15 Metrotech Center, owned by Forest City Ratner.
Over the past few years, Brooklyn has been booming, growing increasingly attractive as a residential option for young professionals. But if you’re a Manhattan snob and Weil associate, have no fear. The Brooklyn digs will house information systems, finance, and operations; the lawyers will stay in the GM Building.
P.S. Speaking of the GM Building, here’s a digression on “safe email.” One ATL tipster likes to email us, using a non-work email account, from a computer in that building’s Apple store.
But you don’t need to be quite that cloak-and-dagger. It’s usually safe to email us, from a non-work account, using the web browser on your wireless device (like a Blackberry or iPhone); that traffic doesn’t pass through your law firm’s servers.
Of course, to be ultra-cautious, wait until you get home, and email us from your personal computer. Thanks.
Law Firm Nears Lease Atop Bus Terminal [New York Observer]
Big Manhattan Law Firm Exits GM Building for … Downtown Brooklyn [New York Observer]
Terminal Information & Services [Port Authority of New York and New Jersey]
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Cravath made it safe - and even cool - for law firms to go over to 8th Avenue.
Cravath? I can understand the incentive to move to Worldwide Plaza. But the PA bus terminal? WTF?
care?
nooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!
poor brooklyn.
paul weiss sux.
---Cravath
Metro Marché is not awful food and Seyfarth Shaw is across the street in the NYTimes building.
Covington & Burlington is also in that building and I heard Goodwin Procter is moving in too.
that's not me. i'm the one who e-mails from the FAO Schwarz men's room.
-WGM anonymous tipster
A move to the 718? Really? That's incredibly lame and probably the last time a closing occurs at WGM offices.
Don't forget the Port Authority bowling alley. Great place to pick up chicks.
"but there are advantages to being based at Port Authority."
Don't forget the bowling alley. Think of the money they'd save on the holiday party by having it there instead of some place like the Rainbow Room.
Good move, Paul Weiss!
Now when I get tired of dealing with some hyper-competitive, anal retentive partner who, without provocation, screams at me for failing to shine his shoes that morning, I can go out and "chill" with some drug addled transients.
15 metrotech is a really nice area in brooklyn. Brooklyn used to be a piece of shit but they're building very expensive condos and there is a significant police presence.
hey 3:47, whens the last time anyone actually went to a closing? thats soooo 2004.
3:47 - The Weil lawyers are still in the GM building, it's the back office people who are getting exiled to the 718.
I never understood why partners waste manhattan real estate $ on support staff when it could easily be accomplished from another location, like brooklyn or india.
Looks like some are wising up
"Brooklyn used to be a piece of shit but they're building very expensive condos and there is a significant police presence. "
When you're referring to how Brooklyn "used to be a piece of shit", were you referring to Brooklyn Heights, or to Park Slope? Just checking.
CWT has the best offices in Manhattan.
4:28, have you ever been to Brooklyn? MetroTech ain't in a "really nice area"; it's a crummy corporate park cheek-to-jowl with the Fulton St. mall, which is just as dumpy as it was 20 years ago. That's why only WGM's back-office folks get stuck there.
One question. If this tipster emails from the Apple store, and now you've disclosed this, won't the next leak from the firm be attributed to whoever at the office is known to hang around the APPLE STORE?
I save my email to ATL in draft form. I duck into the Apple Store for five minutes to hit "send" (and check out some merchandise while I'm there). I wouldn't say I "hang around" the Apple Store.
Guys in my high school used to duck into the Apple Store for five minutes all the time, it was no big deal.
-- Apple Store Tipster
8th ave is slowly getting nicer. e.g. the new NY Times building across the street from Port Authority
Apple Store Tipster to 190!
FYI, I was told that BB internet traffic CAN go through your firm's servers. WTF? Lat should do a story on this.
Yes, berry traffic can and usually does go through your firm's servers, especially if your firm proxy filters their internet (like blocking porn sites and chat programs). That being said just because the firm may filter the internet on your berry it doesn't necessarily monitor the actual data being transmitted (i.e. packet sniffing) so while they may know what sites you are visiting (i.e. gmail mobile) they probably don't know what you are using those sites for (i.e sending Lat an email about how you just saw a threesome happening in the Enron doc shredding room). As an internet security geek I suggest you setup a fake gmail account and make sure to access gmail using the secure address (httpS://mail.google.com) instead of the regular address (http://mail.google.com)