Law firm to relocate offices to One Shell Plaza
Fisher Phillips will relocate its downtown offices to a larger, more efficient space in One Shell Plaza as the labor and employment law firm moves toward near paperless offices across the country.
The newly remodeled 9,097-square-foot office will house 20 employees with room to grow. The space is 20 percent bigger than its current offices in Three Allen Center. The firm, which represents employers, will move in June.
Almost all records will be stored electronically, saving on both rent and the cost of building out storage space, according to the firm. Instead of a traditional file room, lawyers will use case rooms with shelves for papers and exhibits relating to active trials, depositions or arbitrations. The firm also reduced its off-site record storage space.
“Our new space will allow us to accommodate our recent growth, while at the same time increasing flexibility to accommodate additional lawyers,” Stephen Roppolo, managing partner of the Houston office, said in an announcement.
Nationally, law firms have trimmed their space by 22 percent in recent years to an average of 760 square feet per attorney, according to JLL. In Houston, law firms average 950 to 1,050 square feet per attorney, down from a historic range of 1,200 to 1,400 square feet.
Fisher Phillips’ new space on the 40th floor serves as an early prototype for the firm, which has 32 offices in the U.S.
Kay Davis of Newmark Grubb Knight Frank represented the tenant. Paula Bruns with Colvill Office Properties represented the landlord, Busycon Properties.
One Shell Plaza, which is 98 percent leased, is headquarters to global law firm Baker Botts.
Shell Oil Co. has put a substantial portion of its namesake building at 910 Louisiana on the market for sublease as it consolidates offices to west Houston.