On
Arrow
Over
Manhattan
–
New
York
–
Success
and
Achievement
Concept
Biglaw
isn’t
just
talking
about
getting
lawyers
back
to
the
office
—
firms
are
leasing
space
like
they
mean
it.
Law
firms
took
nearly
800,000
square
feet
of
New
York
City
office
space
in
Q4
2025,
according
to
data
provided
to
Law.com,
with
firms
including
Kirkland
&
Ellis,
Goodwin
Procter,
and
McGuireWoods
expanding
their
Manhattan
footprints.
Gibson
Dunn
and
Baker
Hostetler
renewed
in
place,
underscoring
that
firms
are
holding
onto
—
and
adding
to
—
their
office
space,
not
shedding
it.
Kirkland
and
Goodwin,
already
among
the
year’s
biggest
New
York
lessees,
added
tens
of
thousands
of
square
feet
in
the
fourth
quarter
alone.
The
expansions
come
as
more
firms
move
to
four-day-a-week
in-office
requirements,
a
trend
that
has
picked
up
steam
across
the
Am
Law
50.
Commercial
real
estate
executives
say
the
link
between
space
and
attendance
is
no
accident.
“Law
firms,
especially
the
high-quality
firms,
are
leading
the
market
in
growth
in
large
measure
because
they
all
came
to
the
realization,
at
about
the
same
time,
that
when
they
are
physically
together,
they
are
far
more
productive
and
creative,”
[Cushman
&
Wakefield
executive
vice
chair
Mark]
Weiss
said.
“Their
recent
growth
reflects
this
sudden
reversal
in
their
attitudes
towards
the
workplace.”
After
years
of
hybrid
hedging,
Biglaw’s
real
estate
strategy
is
sending
a
clear
message:
if
firms
are
requiring
lawyers
to
show
up,
they’re
going
to
make
sure
there’s
room
for
them.
Law
Firms
in
‘Space
Race’
for
NYC
Office
Leases
[Law.com]
Staci
Zaretsky is
the
managing
editor
of
Above
the
Law,
where
she’s
worked
since
2011.
She’d
love
to
hear
from
you,
so
please
feel
free
to email her
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