JLL represented Blanchet LLP, a newly established boutique litigation firm with offices in Chicago, New York and Buffalo, in leasing 10,647 square feet at 155 North Wacker Drive in Chicago’s West Loop.
The firm, founded by veteran litigation partners from some of the country’s leading law firms, launched in late summer 2026 and selected the West Loop to house its Chicago office.
The firm’s Chicago office is led by partners John R. Worth and Jaran R. Moten. Before launching Blanchet LLP, Worth and Moten, along with Buffalo-based managing partner Joel A. Blanchet, litigated and tried high-stakes cases togetherfor decades, first as litigation partners at Kirkland & Ellis LLP and later at Phillips Lytle LLP, where they led the launch and development of the firm’s Chicago office.
Together with their partners in New York and Buffalo, the Blanchet team set out to create a firm that delivers the elitetrial expertise clients facing complex disputes demand, built around targeted strategy and efficient resolution of cases. The firm has a national reach, with active litigation matters in state and federal courts throughout the country and a breadth of expertise ranging from commercial litigation to environmental and toxic tort, product liability, class action, and government investigations.
155 North Wacker is a trophy office tower in the West Loop that is 98 percent leased and home to tenants including EY, Monroe Capital, Smith Gambrell, Quarles & Brady and Ogletree Deakins. The building offers floor-to-ceiling glass and on-site dining — the kind of environment that helps a growing firm recruit and retain top legal talent.
“155 North Wacker puts us exactly where we want to be — among the firms we know and in a building that reflects the level at which we operate and the talent we want to continue attracting,” said Worth. “Complex litigation can be very demanding, and we recognize that we ask a lot of our team. 155 North Wacker provides our team with an outstanding work setting and our firm with an excellent foundation for successful growth.”
The lease reflects a dynamic playing out across Chicago’s downtown market. According to JLL’s Q2 2026 Chicago Downtown Office Report, Trophy and Class A properties posted 117,613 square feet of positive net absorption during the quarter even as lower-quality buildings shed tenants at nearly the same rate — a divergence that underscores the growing premium on address and amenities. The West Loop captured 44 percent of all downtown leasing volume in Q2, and with no new top-tier office product under construction, well-positioned buildings like 155 North Wacker face a tightening pool of direct competition for the most selective tenants.
JLL Managing Director Terry Mostrom and Executive Vice President Brian Means led the tenant representation.
“For law firms today, the office is a recruiting tool as much as a client-facing one,” said Means. “When your model depends on attracting top-tier litigators, the address and the neighbors are part of the pitch.”
The landlord was represented by Andrea Saewitz and Mark Baby of Stream Realty Partners.
