The largest law firm ever to debut in Nashville quickly found a new home in Nashville Yards.
McDermott Will & Schulte signed 27,696-square-foot lease in the Pinnacle tower at Nashville Yards, according to Cushman & Wakefield’s Q4 Nashville office report.
The new lease comes months after the law firm, previously named McDermott Will & Emory, announced it had opened its first Nashville office in SoBro.
Boston-based McDermott Will & Schulte is one of the newest entries into Nashville’s expanding legal market, having been in Music City for less than a year.
Since making its Nashville debut as McDermott Will & Emery, the firm merged with Schulte Roth & Zabel. The combined firm now has 1,750 lawyers across more than 20 offices in the U.S. and Europe, with its annal revenue projected to be $3 billion, according to NBJ sister outlet Boston Business Journal.
By revenue, it’s the biggest law firm to open an office in Music City — another signal of the region’s growing economy and rising profile.
The AmLaw 100 law firm is now making a bigger mark with an office in one of the city’s highest-profile developments.
The firm is taking over nearly 30,000 square feet in the Pinnacle tower, located at 21 Platform Way S., which appears to be a full floor in the building. The law firm’s current office is located at the 222 Second Avenue building SoBro.
“McDermott Will & Schulte is a leading global law firm with an outstanding reputation. Their decision to choose Nashville Yards adds to a growing list of exceptional tenants that desire the best office environment for their workforce and clients,” said Cary Mack, managing partner of Southwest Value Partners, in a statement to the Business Journal.
McDermott Will & Schulte recruited four health care lawyers from K&L Gates, including Ken Marlow as managing partner, when it first broke into Nashville. The firm now has six partners and two associates in its local office, according to its website.
When asked for comment, the firm pointed to Southwest Value Partners’ statement.
The law firm is the latest recruit for the Nashville Yards development which boasts some of the highest office rent rates in the city.
The $1 billion, 19-acre development opened earlier this year and includes two Amazon towers, the Grand Hyatt, the Union Station hotel, the new Pinnacle tower, two residential towers, an entertainment district and more, and is widely believed by real estate professionals to be shifting the epicenter of downtown.
McDermott Will & Schulte is joining other notable office tenants like Pinnacle Financial Partners, Bass Berry & Sims, Industrious and more in the new tower.