Brooklyn Defender Services Signs 212K-SF Lease at Tishman Speyer’s 422 Fulton Street

An organization providing no-cost public defense in legal proceedings is relocating to Downtown Brooklyn, Commercial Observer has learned.

Brooklyn Defender Services (BDS) signed a 31-year lease for 212,000 square feet across six full floors of Tishman Speyer’s 422 Fulton Street in a consolidation of its workforce from multiple locations throughout the borough, according to the landlord. BDS will move into its new space in late 2026.

Tishman Speyer declined to disclose the asking rent for the building, known as the Wheeler, but the average office asking rent in Downtown Brooklyn was $54.85 per square foot in the first quarter of 2026, according to a report from Colliers.

“Signing this long-term lease marks a major investment in the future of our organization and the people who make this important work possible,” Lisa Schreibersdorf, executive director of BDS, said in a statement. “These new headquarters will allow us to provide an inspiring, collaborative and supportive environment for our staff, the people we serve and surrounding communities. This new space strengthens our ability to provide high-quality legal representation and the best possible outcomes for the people we serve for decades to come.”

Megan Sheehan, a managing director of leasing at Tishman Speyer, handled the deal in-house for the landlord alongside a CBRE team of Mary Ann Tighe, Joseph Cirone, Masha Dudelzak, Zachary Price and Gerry Miovski. Newmark’s Jonathan Franzel and Ryan Gessin negotiated on behalf of the tenant.

CBRE and Newmark did not immediately respond to  requests for comment.

The new deal brings the 617,000-square-foot 422 Fulton Street to full occupancy after Brooklyn Prospect Charter School signed a deal for 150,000 square feet in March 2025 to create a new high school there. St. Francis College relocated to 255,000 square feet in the development in 2022.

“With its modern workspaces and highly accessible location in the heart of Downtown Brooklyn, the Wheeler proved to be an ideal fit for BDS and its esteemed team of professionals,” Chris Shehadeh, senior managing director at Tishman Speyer, said in a statement.

The series of deals indicate a recovery for Tishman Speyer after a major deal fell through in February 2020. At the time, Whittle School & Studios leased the entire 10-story building, something that may have been disrupted by the onset of COVID-19 a month later, considering the leaders of the organization closed its Washington, D.C., campus in July of that year citing the pandemic as a cause for financial setbacks.

Mark Hallum can be reached at mhallum@commercialobserver.com.