Law Firm to Relocate From U.S. Bank Tower to Distressed 1 Cal Plaza in L.A.
The new tenant was reportedly granted concessions to draw them from the newly renovated U.S. Bank Tower
By Nick Trombola March 2, 2026 7:09 pm
reprints
As one law firm enters Silverstein’s U.S. Bank Tower in Downtown Los Angeles, another leaves.
Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani (GRSM) has inked a roughly 26,000-square-foot relocation deal for the 42-story 1 Cal Plaza, just one block northeast of the law firm’s current space at U.S. Bank Tower. The Real Deal first reported the news. The deal is a lifeline to the troubled tower, which has suffered setback after setback since the pandemic.
Rising Realty Partners and DigitalBridge purchased 1 Cal Plaza in 2017 for about $460 million, financing the deal with a $300 million loan from Column Financial. Yet the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic hit the property hard; the debt was placed into special servicing in 2021, and again in late 2024 due to cash flow and occupancy woes. The tower was ultimately placed into Trigild-led receivership last August after the landlords defaulted on the debt in early 2025.
The 1 million-square-foot building was just 55 percent occupied as of early February, per Morningstar commentary at the time.
GRSM’s relocation to 1 Cal Plaza, expected later this year, bucks current market trends given the building’s distress and financial uncertainty. While rent pricing was not disclosed, the law firm was granted concessions to entice them to lease space at 1 Cal Plaza, JLL’s Tim Miller told TRD. GRSM and Miller did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Additionally for 1 Cal Plaza, Citigroup has reportedly renewed its lease at 1 Cal Plaza, per TRD, though further details are scant. The financial services company moved into a 29,000-square-foot space at the property in 2018, though it was not immediately clear if Citigroup currently occupies the same footprint. A spokesperson for Citigroup did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Even as some law firms have left Downtown L.A. for the Westside, the industry remains perhaps the most important driver of activity downtown. U.S. law firms leased more than 10 percent of total office activity across the country last year, and the trend is continuing this year in L.A. For example, landlord Silverstein just landed a nearly 25,000-square-foot lease with law firm Wilson Elser.
Nick Trombola can be reached at ntrombola@commercialobserver.com.
