Law Firm Moves to New DC Offices
Oxford Properties and Norges Bank Investment Management own the LEED Platinum-certified building.
International law firm Milbank LLP has moved to more than 64,000 square feet over two floors at 1101 New York Ave. NW, a 12-story, 379,329-square-foot Class A office building in Washington, D.C.’s East End submarket.
The tenant, which had occupied a similar space at 1850 K. St., signed a lease in November 2024 with the building’s owners, Oxford Properties and Norges Bank Investment Management, and leasing manager, Stream Realty Partners.
Oxford acquired the downtown D.C. building in July 2017 for $389.3 million from Property Group Partners with the help of a 10-year, $186 million loan from Prudential Financial, according to Yardi Research Data.
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Milbank, which has had an office in the District of Columbia for more than 40 years, stated the new space will strengthen the firm’s D.C. presence, allow for continued growth and support collaboration among its staff and clients.
Developed by by Property Group Partner, the LEED Platinum-certified building came online in 2006. The property was renovated in 2021 and 2023. Upgrades include a new 75-person conference center, an indoor/outdoor rooftop terrace, fitness center and Gensler-designed main lobby improvements.
Accommodating a growing firm
Milbank Chairman Scott Edelman said in prepared comments the new space reflects the firm’s culture and strengthens its ability to serve clients at the highest level. In the last two years, the Washington, D.C. office has grown 49 percent across key practice areas.
The firm has been a leader in the market for its bankruptcy litigation, transportation and space and global risk and national security practices. Milbank recently launched its Supreme Court and Appellate practice and expanded several other practices including white collar defense, investigations and antitrust and tax renewables.
The space was designed by global architectural firm Lehman Smith McLeish, which also worked on Milbank’s offices in London and at Hudson Yards in New York City. HITT, a national construction firm, was general contractor.
Other building tenants
Milbank joins several tenants at the downtown D.C. office building, including professional services firm EY; law firm A&O Shearman; Bloomberg News, which leases 50,000 square feet; and National Retail Federation, which has 31,115 square feet. Law firm Allen & Overy LLP signed a long-term lease in November 2022, when it expanded its space to a total of 40,914 square feet.
The building is adjacent to CityCenter, a mixed-use development with high-end retail, restaurants, outdoor and residential space. It has 21,000 square feet of ground-floor retail, including a CVS Pharmacy and 200 subterranean parking spaces. The property is within a quarter-mile of a Metro station.
Law firms leasing up
Milbank’s move to new space was part of a law firm leasing momentum that began last year and continued into the first quarter of 2025, according to Savills’ U.S. Law Firm Activity report. Commitments of 20,000 square feet or more surged to 3.4 million square feet in the first quarter, double the volume of the first quarter of 2024. Average quarterly volume over the past year reached 3 million square feet, compared to an average of 1.5 million square feet per quarter between 2020 and 2023.
Savills noted law firm activity reached 10.2 million square feet in 2024, well above the previous peak of 8.4 million square feet in 2019. The firm stated the robust leasing highlights the legal sector’s revived demand for office space.
Washington, D.C., was among the markets with leases over 100,000 square feet in the first quarter of 2025. New York City had the most activity, accounting for 23 percent of the total legal leasing volume and 17.5 percent of the number of lease transactions nationally.
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