After more than 30 years at one downtown Phoenix office, Snell & Wilmer is now operational in a new one.
Arizona’s largest law firm recently moved into CityScape — a 28-story mixed-use building at 1 E. Washington St. in downtown Phoenix. The firm’s new headquarters occupies five floors across 120,000 square feet in Suite #2700.
“As we planned for the firm’s future, we were looking for a vibrant location that would be attractive to our clients, support our collaborative culture, and offer the technological edge that clients and lawyers require. CityScape addresses all of our needs,” said Matthew P. Feeney, chair of Snell & Wilmer in a statement.
Snell & Wilmer announced in May 2021 that it would be moving offices and partnering with Phoenix developer RED Development, which also has its office at CityScape in Suite #300, to make the move. Chuck Nixon of CBRE Group Inc. represented Snell & Wilmer in the lease.
“We’re honored to welcome the state’s largest law firm to CityScape. Snell & Wilmer will find its new home offers the best of downtown Phoenix and we couldn’t be prouder to be part of this next chapter as they continue to build their legacy across Arizona,” said Mike Ebert, managing partner of RED Development, in a statement to the Business Journal.
Allyson Calvert, senior director of project management at CBRE, helped oversee the move from pre-leasing through completion. That included tenant improvement work and coordinating with contractors and vendors and more. Construction started in July 2021, she said.
Calvert said there are roughly 400 individual offices — all roughly the same size — in Snell & Wilmer’s new space. The firm still operates on a hybrid model and attorneys can reserve offices, workstations and conference rooms when they are needed in the office.
Phoenix-based Jokake Construction and San Francisco-based Studios Architecture were the respective general contractor and architect for the buildout of the new space, Calvert said.
While a five-floor, 120,000-square-foot office sounds like a big expansion, Snell & Wilmer actually downsized from 10 floors and roughly 180,000 square feet at Arizona Center, Calvert said.
The Phoenix-based firm has 196 Valley-based attorneys and 469 attorneys firm-wide, according to Business Journal research, making it the largest law firm in the state.
“Following more than 30 years at Arizona Center, we are excited to change downtown locations and embrace the vibrancy of CityScape and its immediate surroundings. With an array of great places to meet, break bread and build relationships, CityScape offers a sense of community that will only help foster our growth as a firm,” said Snell & Wilmer COO Kyle Day in a statement.
CityScape, located at Central Avenue and Washington Street, has added several new retail tenants during the pandemic, including 810 Billiards & Bowling, The Yard Milkshake Bar, Pigtails, Dog Haus Biergarten, Everbowl, One Stop Nutrition, Downtown Phoenix Bike Shop and The Phoenix Bourbon Room. Western Alliance Bank also expanded its presence in CityScape to about 155,000 square feet.
