Haynes Boone New York City office recently announced a lease renewal with 30 Rockefeller Plaza, growing its occupied footprint as it celebrated the office’s 20 year anniversary. The renewal and comments from New York Office Managing Partner Craig Unterberg were featured in a New York Law Journal article on Am Law 100 firms expanding in New York.
Read an excerpt below:
At Haynes Boone, the Texas-founded firm is now on the 22nd and 23rd floors, as well as a portion of an undetermined additional floor after an August lease renewal this year. The firm is planning a renovation of the New York space within the next year, including adding single-size offices for all lawyers.
In the renewal, the office space grows from 70,000 to 90,000 square feet. The lease also included the ability to lease additional space as the firm grew, said Unterberg. Haynes Boone has 89 [New York] lawyers and has added 19 lawyers since early 2023.
"For us, having a lot of optionality in how much space we can take was a big driver in the lease negotiations," he said.
Unterberg said that, although it's uncertain if staying in its current space was a cheaper option than moving, it would have been "disruptive" to the firm's lawyers and employees to do so. "We looked at other buildings, but we were very focused on staying in 30 Rock. I do think from the cost of disruption, we avoid that by staying in the same building and having continuity," he said.
The iconic New York office address now features many benefits on its campus, including concerts, restaurants, and of course, the tree and skating rink. "I think Tishman has done a lot with the 30 Rock campus, and it continues to improve. Our people enjoy that the lobby is a very New York lobby, with tourists and business people," said Unterberg.
Since Haynes Boone moved into the building in 2011, Unterberg said that the firm's new floors could use a revamp.
"The office we're in right now, we've been in for 13 to 14 years. It's held up nicely, but I would not say that it has a lot of the features that you'd see in newer offices," he said. "Right now, for example, we have different-sized offices. We are moving to single-sized offices because it creates flexibility and ability to move around people."
The firm's renovation also plans communal-style spaces, including a cafeteria and lounge areas, Unterberg said. When asked how they plan on financing the deal, Unterberg said the firm is "fiscally responsible" and does not plan to borrow.
