Law Firm to Exit Downtown Austin, Texas, for New Office with Parking
Traditionally, law firms have been located in the center of the city they service, close to the courthouse.
But a tight market for downtown office space in Austin, Texas, where a growing number of energy and technology companies are competing for the same buildings as law firms, is prompting some to reconsider that tradition, reports the Austin Business Journal.
One that has already decided to make a move to a less central area of the city is Bowman and Brooke. Although rental pricing was a consideration, parking and the ease of commuting were at least as critical to the decision-making process, according to Michelle Bailey, who serves as chief of operations for the Austin office. The 44-employee firm has no parking allocation downtown and will get 96 spaces when it moves in February.
“We’re not doing transactional work, and we don’t have a lot of local interaction,” Bailey said, explaining why the firm doesn’t have to be next to the courthouse. “We tend to be a national firm with our attorneys flying all over the country.”
On the law firm’s website is a link to a book that celebrates its 25th anniversary with photographs of the 250 courthouses nationwide in which it has tried cases.
Related coverage:
ABAJournal.com: “Raid on Clark Thomas Lures 8 Lawyers to New Texas Office of Midsize Minn. Firm, Bowman and Brooke”
