The Howard Hughes Corporation and Riverside Investment and Development, co-developers of 110 N. Wacker Drive, announced that the global law firm Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP has signed an 86,000-square-foot lease to become the newest tenant of the trophy-class office tower, now under construction along the Chicago River.
“We’re excited to have Morgan Lewis in the building as 110 North Wacker Drive continues to solidify itself as the most desirable downtown office development site in Chicago,” said Paul Layne, president of the central region for The Howard Hughes Corporation. “Morgan Lewis is a great firm and further validation that our location, amenities, technology, views and fourteen corner opportunities per floor combine to offer unparalleled talent attraction and retention for tenants.”
Morgan, Lewis & Bockius, acclaimed for providing high-quality litigation, corporate, labor and intellectual property services to clients across industry sectors and regions around the world, has been in Chicago since 2003 and today has over 130 local lawyers and employees that will occupy three floors of 110 North Wacker beginning in the third quarter of 2021. Tom Doughty, Steve Steinmeyer and Bobby Blair of JLL represented Morgan, Lewis & Bockius on the deal, while Drew Nieman and Sara Spicklemire of CBRE represented the developers. Nieman has since left CBRE and joined Riverside as in-house broker.
“We have experienced significant growth in recent years, including adding elite groups of talent to our firm,” said Jami McKeon, chair of Morgan Lewis. “We have strong relationships with great Chicago-based clients and are able to offer them the best talent from around the world to service their needs. It is exciting to have the opportunity to construct quality space that employs forward-thinking technology in flexible design. Flexible design in a modern and dynamic space enables us to better support and serve our clients on our global platform.”
With this lease, the building—designed by Goettsch Partners and built by Clark Construction—is now over 50 percent leased eighteen months prior to opening, continuing the momentum that began in 2017 with the announcement of Bank of America as the anchor tenant of the new tower, leasing approximately 530,000 square feet. Previously announced tenants also include Lincoln International and the recently announced co-working firm, No18.
