Squire Patton Boggs takes three floors at No.1 Spinningfields
Global law firm, Squire Patton Boggs, has agreed a prelet on 27,500 sq ft in Allied London’s 340,000 sq ft office tower in central Manchester, currently under construction.
Squire Patton Boggs is currently based in Trinity Court, John Dalton Street and will relocate on completion next year.
The lawyer will occupy three levels on the tower floors of No.1 Spinningfields, joining PwC as a prelet tenant at the new block on Quay Street. PwC signed a prelet for 50,000 sq ft in March 2015.
Squire Patton Boggs has 44 offices in 21 countries. The firm previously operated in Manchester as Hammonds, which opened in the city in 1993. Hammonds was taken over by US practice Squire Sanders in 2011, and then merged with Patton Boggs in 2014.
Chris Reay, Spinningfields estate director at Allied London, said: “We are developing a world-class building and it will provide the perfect opportunity for Squire Patton Boggs to attract the best talent in the legal sector.”
Michael Ingall, Allied London’s chief executive, said: “Better people make better places. Spinningfields will, for many business generations, be one of the best places to work in the UK. We have been working with Squire Patton Boggs for some time and have been able to fully understand what they do and looked carefully at how they work in London, New York and other cities. We are delighted that this process has led to Squire Patton Boggs securing the best real estate solution available to them: a world-class solution for a world-class business. So many organisations get this process wrong, and fail to understand the differences between taking a lease on some office space, and creating an appropriate and special workplace for their business.”
Rob Elvin, managing partner of Squire Patton Boggs in Manchester, said: “We are passionate about our position in the local market, and this move to No.1 Spinningfields, in the heart of the business district, provides us with a platform for the firm’s future in the city.
“We have outstanding staff, a strong client base and great ambition for the future, demonstrated by the fact that we will now have first-rate facilities for our people and our clients here in Manchester.”
OBI Property advised Squire Patton Boggs. Shoosmiths acted as Allied London’s legal advisor. OBI advises Allied London.
More lawyers,Yawn
By Elephant
More lawyers, Yay!!!
By Tiger
It’s a symptom of the modern western economy that WC Boggs got out of manufacturing into the professional services sector. Are we to blame the unions?
By Gene Walker
More a symptom of how the UK economy is run Gene. An over valued pound, a culture of short termism, the bias in taxation for debt over equity and the over-allocation of capital into land, property, and financial services rather than productive industry has seen our manufacturing sector wither to the benefit of The City of London and the detriment of almost everyone else.
By Gideon
I agree with Gideon.There is no substitute for making things people want to buy.This is why we took so long to come out of the great credit crunch.We had no manufacturing of any real breadth to take the place of the bankrupt financial service industry.We had to nationalise the City of London to save our economy.
By Elephant
I thought you want to see lots of exciting shiny towers Elephant? Professional services firms like lawyers tend to need space in office towers whereas factories do not.
By Anonymous
Anon,you have a point,but a balanced economy is preferable for Manchester and the North West,than reliance on just one sector.In the past,the North West’s great industries,had huge city centre offices for administration purposes,in both Liverpool and Manchester.People working in offices,can support people making things and we do not need offices full of accountants,consultants and lawyers,who despite this claim to be the ‘private sector’,make most of their money from the Taxpayer,particularly lawyers,in legal aid and compensation bids.How much money from the NHS has gone to law firms for example.
By Elephant