Nonprofit Legal Services Firm Access Justice Moving to 9K SF at 203 Jay Street
By Abigail Nehring August 7, 2024 12:19 pm
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Nonprofit legal services provider Access Justice Brooklyn settled its case with a new landlord in Downtown Brooklyn.
Access Justice signed an 11-year lease for 9,397 square feet across the entire third floor of 203 Jay Street, according to landlord AmTrust RE. Asking rent was $55 per square foot, according to landlord broker CBRE (CBRE).
The nonprofit firm — which was founded in 1990 to connect low-income New Yorkers to pro bono civil legal services — will leave its approximately 5,000-square-foot office nearby at 44 Court Street for its new homebase between Concord and Nassau streets at the base of the Manhattan Bridge, according to tenant broker Cresa.
Access Justice President and CEO Heidi Lee Henderson said in a statement the relocation marks a significant moment in the nonprofit’s history and “illustrates the pivotal role the organization plays in ensuring a more accessible legal system and equitable Brooklyn.”
Henderson described the new space as “designed with intention, representing our shared values: access, change, compassion, fairness, resilience and respect.”
That, along with AmTrust’s generosity in helping Access Justice design the space, closed the deal, according to Cresa’s Bert Rosenblatt.
“They had several design meetings and Access Justice really appreciated the time and attention that AmTrust spent on them to make sure that everything was as it should be,” Rosenbaltt said. “They got a brand-new space designed to their specifications.”
AmTrust’s Anne Holker represented the landlord in-house along with CBRE’s Brad Gerla, Michael Rizzo and Alex Benisatto.
Holker and a spokesperson for CBRE declined to comment.
AmTrust President Jonathan Bennett said in a statement the deal, “is a direct reflection of growing demand for quality office space in the Brooklyn submarket.”
Other tenants on the roster at the eight-story building include personal injury law firm Morgan & Morgan.
Abigail Nehring can be reached at anehring@commercialobserver.com.
