Law Firm Kirkland & Ellis Grows to 257K SF at Elecor Properties’ 900 Third Avenue

Less than a year after arriving at 900 Third Avenue, Chicago-based law firm Kirkland & Ellis has upped its footprint once again.

The law firm’s 52,089-square-foot expansion at the Midtown East office tower was revealed in Savills’ Wednesday report on law firm leasing in the first quarter of 2026. 

The 36-story office building between East 54th and East 55th streets is owned by Elecor Properties, which was rebranded from its previous name of Paramount Group in April, as Commercial Observer reported. The rebrand of Paramount Group follows the acquisition of its office portfolio by Michael Nierenberg’s Rithm Capital. 

Kirkland, which serves clients in private equity and corporate transactions, originally leased 131,054 square feet at 900 Third Avenue in April 2025, CO previously reported. After a subsequent expansion at the building last year, this most recent deal will give the firm a total footprint of 257,135 square feet.

The upsized office space sits around the corner from Kirkland’s 520,000-square-foot office at BXP’s 601 Lexington Avenue, the lease for which runs until 2039.

CBRE’s Ken Rapp and Andrew Sussman represented the tenant in the expansion. A Cushman & Wakefield leasing team led by John Cefaly exclusively represents 900 Third Avenue, according to the building’s website.

The office tower was last valued at $210 million, per the sale of a 45 percent ownership stake in early 2025. Other tenants in the building include construction advisory firm Lehrer Cumming and employment and labor law firm Littler.

Law firm office expansions across U.S. markets outpaced contractions in the first quarter of the year, according to Savills, with nearly 45 percent of renewal and relocation transactions yielding larger footprints. Kirkland’s expansion far exceeded the market’s average expansion of 13,199 square feet. 

Gibson Dunn’s 361,569-square-foot renewal at 200 Park Avenue led law firm leasing volume in the first quarter, the total of which moderated from prior quarters to 1.4 million square feet. 

Spokespeople for Kirkland, CBRE and C&W did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Emily Davis can be reached at edavis@commercialobserver.com.

Update: This story has been updated to reflect the law firm’s total square footage at the property following another lease expansion in 2025.