Law Firm Doubles Office Space In Financial District

An out-of-state law firm has doubled down after just a year in the South Florida market with a new Miami office that offers more space and a more strategic location.

Hackensack, New Jersey-based Cole Schotz signed a long-term lease for about 6,100 square feet of space in Brickell City Tower, at 80 S.W. Eighth St. It replaces the firm’s previous 2,700-square-foot office at 2121 S.W. Third Ave.

Move-in was earlier this month. Financial details weren’t disclosed.

The new office features 14 private offices and three conference rooms for the firm’s 10 South Florida team members, a spokesperson said. The Miami office is led by Luis Salazar, who told the Business Journal the firm plans to grow its South Florida presence, with an emphasis on additional local hires.

“We believe there is tremendous legal talent here, and one of our goals is to continue creating opportunities for lawyers who want to build their careers in Miami,” Salazar said. “Our focus is on building a strong local team.”

“You can lease office space overnight, but you can’t build trust overnight,” he added. “This new office is the product of years of building relationships, earning our clients’ confidence and assembling a terrific team.”

Cole Schotz, an AmLaw 200 firm, says it has more than 215 attorneys across nine offices in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic, plus Florida and Texas. Aside from Miami, the firm’s other locations in the Sunshine State are in Boca Raton and Palm Beach.

As for the firm’s new Miami office, Brickell City Tower last sold for $117 million in 2018, when it was acquired by an affiliate of New York Life Insurance Co. The building, which dates back to 1985, offers around 292,000 square feet of offices across 33 stories. It’s directly across the street from Brickell City Centre, and also near Mary Brickell Village and the Brickell Metrorail Station.

More broadly, there’s been growing demand across South Florida for service providers such as law firms and accountants amid an influx of billionaires, executives and other high-net-worth residents to the tri-county region.

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