Lommen Abdo announced that the firm has agreed to a long-term lease commencing January 1, 2015 in the International Centre located at 920 Second Avenue South in downtown Minneapolis. The move to the International Centre will allow the firm to design space that is well suited to the way law firms now operate.
“Lommen Abdo was on the cutting edge when it moved to the IDS Center 24 years ago and designed one-size-fits-all offices for its lawyers. The IDS Center has served us well and we have had an excellent relationship with its management,” Keith Broady, president of Lommen Abdo, P.A., said Monday. “But major changes in space utilization over the past two decades present us with an even greater opportunity now to design a space that meets our needs while lowering our costs. Today communication revolves around the internet and the talk of a paperless office is moving from just talk to reality. Technology has changed our workflow and reduced space needs. We are excited about the opportunity to design and use our new space more effectively and efficiently while continuing to provide excellent service to our clients. And our clients appreciate that we focus on both quality and cost-effectiveness. Our new lease offers Lommen Abdo a strong foundation for continued success.”
Lommen Abdo has 34 attorneys, with headquarters in Minneapolis and offices in Hudson, Wisconsin and New York City. The firm celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2013. It practices in a wide variety of disciplines, focusing on litigation and appeals, business law, mergers and acquisitions, intellectual property, real estate, brewery law, employment and entertainment law. The firm has been designated as one of the Best Law Firms in the United States by US World & News Report and Best Lawyers. Numerous firm members have been recognized by their peers in 2014 including Jeff O’Brien, selected as one of the 40 Under 40 by the Business Journal; Kay Nord Hunt, selected as a 2014 Attorney of the Year by Minnesota Lawyer; and Ken Abdo and Bob Donnelly selected as two of the 50 Music Attorneys of Note in the Music Biz. Ken Abdo has also recently joined the Board of National Trustees for the Recording Academy (Grammys).
The legal profession continues to be dynamic in space requirements and real estate needs, with ratios of professionals, office sizes, document storage needs, usage of libraries and e-filings just a few of the evolving elements Lommen Abdo is addressing in its move.
Lommen Abdo was represented by David Buyse and Rory Johnson of Corporate Tenant Advisors (www.thetenantsedge.com), an exclusive tenant-focused commercial real estate broker based in downtown Minneapolis. David Buyse said, “Rory and I are proud to have assisted Lommen Abdo and its partners. We made a plan, and stuck to it…this required a healthy dose of patience and trust from the partners at Lommen Abdo. We began our discussions more than a year ago, as the market seemed to be struggling to its feet. Landlords assumed we were simply out “kicking tires” in order to test the market, with the ultimate intent to leverage a lease restructure with the firm’s long term Landlord at IDS Center. While a lease renewal was definitely a consideration, several alternative downtown landlords offered extremely aggressive terms in order to win the occupancy….we engaged these multiple Landlords simultaneously. Ultimately, the owners of International Centre made us the most appealing offer, creating a long term headquarters on the 10th floor of the building.”
The firm explored both suburban and downtown locations and renewed its commitment to the vibrant downtown business community.
