Biglaw isn’t just talking about getting lawyers back to the office — firms are leasing space like they mean it.
Law firms took nearly 800,000 square feet of New York City office space in Q4 2025, according to data provided to Law.com, with firms including Kirkland & Ellis, Goodwin Procter, and McGuireWoods expanding their Manhattan footprints. Gibson Dunn and Baker Hostetler renewed in place, underscoring that firms are holding onto — and adding to — their office space, not shedding it.
Kirkland and Goodwin, already among the year’s biggest New York lessees, added tens of thousands of square feet in the fourth quarter alone. The expansions come as more firms move to four-day-a-week in-office requirements, a trend that has picked up steam across the Am Law 50.
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Commercial real estate executives say the link between space and attendance is no accident.
“Law firms, especially the high-quality firms, are leading the market in growth in large measure because they all came to the realization, at about the same time, that when they are physically together, they are far more productive and creative,” [Cushman & Wakefield executive vice chair Mark] Weiss said. “Their recent growth reflects this sudden reversal in their attitudes towards the workplace.”
After years of hybrid hedging, Biglaw’s real estate strategy is sending a clear message: if firms are requiring lawyers to show up, they’re going to make sure there’s room for them.
Law Firms in ‘Space Race’ for NYC Office Leases [Law.com]
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Staci Zaretsky is the managing editor of Above the Law, where she’s worked since 2011. She’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on Bluesky, X/Twitter, and Threads, or connect with her on LinkedIn.