LA-Based Law Firm On the Hunt For First Miami Office
Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan has been touring space in Coconut Grove, Brickell and Downtown Miami for its first office in the Magic City
By Celia Young May 12, 2021 6:25 pm
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The Los Angeles-based law firm Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan is launching its first office in Miami — and is on the hunt for a piece of real estate to house the 10 lawyers it’s recruited from Hogan Lovells and Greenspoon Marder, as well as Miami mayor Francis Suarez, who has joined the firm as counsel.
The litigation-focused firm — home to fast growing offices in New York, DC and London — is considering several locations in Coconut Grove, Brickell and Downtown Miami, Sam Williamson, a partner resident in Quinn Emanuel’s New York office, told Commercial Observer. The firm is seeking 6,000 to 8,000 square feet for their first year in Miami, with an option to expand to 10,000 to 12,000 square feet during their second year.
While Williamson would not disclose what specific properties the firm was considering, he did say members of the firm had viewed around seven or eight properties, and expects to have a location picked out in the next week or two.
News of the law firm’s Miami debut was first reported by Bloomberg Law. The firm began examining a move to Miami last summer amid growth in the city’s financial, technology and business scenes, the publication reported.
The Miami office officially opened on Monday, John O’Sullivan, a partner at Quinn Emanuel who joined from Hogan Lovells, told CO. While the office does not have a physical location, O’Sullivan expected a quick turnaround – even within the week – for finding a property and had received offers of help from other law firms in the area.
“There are a lot of friendly law friends that have offered to let us use their space for a few weeks until we get something,” O’Sullivan told CO. “It’s a hot market right now.”
Mayor Suarez will work as a litigator for the firm, though his cases won’t involve city hall as Quinn Emanuel is a litigation-only firm, said O’Sullivan. Suarez is departing from Greenspoon Marder to take on the new role, the Miami Herald reported earlier this week.
The Miami-area’s growing technology sector, too, is a hot market, and a reason the area is so attractive to law firms. Miami is home to a trio of big name tenants — Microsoft, Apple and ViacomCBS — seeking office space in the city, CO reported.
Media conglomerate ViacomCBS is looking to expand its Miami office footprint by 100,000 square feet or more, Apple is narrowing down its search to a few properties and Microsoft is actively negotiating at 830 Brickell — deals that would all take some serious square footage in Miami’s downtown.
It’s safe to say the city’s office market is heating up, and not just for big name tenants. The region attracted $1.06 billion in venture investment startups in 2020, according to Bloomberg, and Softbank Group Corp. committed $100 million in funds for Miami-area companies earlier this year.
Law firms have also been spreading out nationally as the pandemic eases, with Quinn Emanuel already announcing office openings in Austin and Atlanta. Cooley is ready to open a new office in Chicago and Debevoise & Plimpton, Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison and Freshfields Bruckhaus & Deringer recently announced planned offices in Northern California, according to Bloomberg.
