Antitrust Firm Axinn Moving to 28K SF at Rock Center

Antitrust law firm Axinn, Veltrop & Harkrider will move into new digs at 45 Rockefeller Plaza later this year, Commercial Observer has learned.

Axinn signed on for 28,000 square feet on the 33rd floor of the 39-story Rockefeller Center tower at 630 Fifth Avenue, according to landlord Tishman Speyer.

A spokesperson for Tishman Speyer did not disclose the terms of the deal, but average asking rent for office space in Midtown was $80.43 per square square foot in the first quarter of 2024, according to a Savills report.

The firm will relocate from 114 West 47th Street, just four blocks away. It’s unclear if it’ll expand its footprint with the move, but the Tishman Speyer spokesperson said Axinn was in the market for an office to accommodate about 60 people.

Stephen Axinn founded the firm in 1997 after a three-decade career at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, where he headed the antitrust department. Aside from trust-busting cases, Axinn’s lawyers also specialize in intellectual property claims and other types of commercial litigation. The firm has offices in New York; Washington, D.C.; San Francisco; and Hartford, Conn., according to its website.

“The relocation of our New York office to this historic destination will mark an exciting milestone in our firm’s history,” Jeny Maier, managing partner at Axinn, said in a statement.

JLL (JLL)’s Lisa Kiell and Andrew Coe arranged the deal for Axinn while Blythe Kinsler, Samantha Augarten, Joe Simon and Kate Walker represented Tishman Speyer in-house.

Kiell and Coe did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Kinsler, Augarten, Simon and Walker declined to comment.

Other recent newcomers to the 1.3 million-square-foot building between West 50th and West 51st streets include Spanish fashion company Puig and investment management firm Ruane, Cunniff & Goldfarb. 

Abigail Nehring can be reached at anehring@commercialobserver.com.