Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP, one of the largest law firms in the world, announced this week that it will expand its Manhattan headquarters in the former GM Building on 5th Avenue by opening a new office in Downtown Brooklyn’s MetroTech Center. The space in 15 MetroTech, within walking distance of BLS, is one of the newest buildings within the MetroTech Commons and a major presence in the Downtown Brooklyn area. The office will house several of the firm’s staff groups, including employees in Information Systems, Finance and Operations.
Weil Gotshal is a global law firm of approximately 1,300 lawyers, including over 300 partners. In addition to its New York headquarters, it has offices in Austin, Boston, Budapest, Dallas, Frankfurt, Hong Kong, Houston, London, Miami, Munich, Paris, Prague, Providence, Shanghai, Silicon Valley, Warsaw, Washington DC and Wilmington. Its move to downtown Brooklyn is scheduled for August and is the first for a major law firm.
MetroTech Center spans ten blocks of Downtown Brooklyn between Flatbush Avenue and Jay Street and is located near many of the borough’s cultural institutions, including Brooklyn Law School. An article in New York Lawyer (reprinted from an article by Brian Baxter in The American Lawyer) states that “rates in the GM Building run about $120 per square foot while comparable space in Brooklyn costs between $35 and $45.” The proposed Atlantic Yards development project in downtown Brooklyn is serving as a magnet for businesses to relocate to the area.
