Law Firm Cozen O’Connor Inks 66K-SF Office Sublease in D.C.

Someone once said that a good law firm never loses its appeal, and Cozen O’Connor’s new Washington, D.C., office shows it checks that box.

The Philadelphia-based firm signed on for a 65,576-square-foot sublease at 2001 M Street NW, about a mile northwest of the White House. The firm is relocating to the new digs from 1200 19th Street NW, which it has called home since 2015, according to Business Journals. Other terms of the lease were not immediately disclosed.

Brookfield Properties owns the building, but Cozen O’Connor is subleasing the space from law firm Orrick (formerly known as Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe), per Business Journals. Another law firm, Buckley, previously occupied the space until 2019, but also recently relocated to 2100 Pennsylvania Avenue NW after merging with Orrick.

Cozen O’Connor will take the entire fourth and fifth floors off of Orrick/Buckley’s hands in a lease that runs until 2032. 

“We have focused on growing our presence in our nation’s capital, and this new space, with its increased number of offices, allows us to continue growing in this market,” Michael Heller, Cozen O’Connor’s executive chairman and CEO, told Commercial Observer. 

It’s no secret that office markets in major U.S. cities are struggling, to say the least, but deals inked by law firms are one of the few bright spots in a dark tunnel lately. That certainly remains true of the office situation in the nation’s capital. 

Williams & Connolly in February added 25,459 square feet to its already impressive footprint at Hoffman & Associates and Madison Marquette’s The Wharf office complex in Southwest D.C. Its total amount of space there now tops 313,000 square feet. 

Or there’s Sullivan & Cromwell, which in January signed a 10-year renewal and expansion lease to its digs at 1700 New York Avenue NW, making its footprint there just shy of 79,000 square feet. 

Nick Trombola can be reached at ntrombola@commercialobserver.com.