Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Global Law Firm Begins LEED Renovations at Downtown Pittsburgh's One Oliver Plaza

Leading global law firm K&L Gates has begun construction and renovation work on its new offices at Downtown's One Oliver Plaza.

In February 2008, the firm signed one of the year’s largest leases in the region. In 2010, K&L Gates will occupy 251,000 square feet of space in the 37-story office tower located at 210 Sixth Ave.Work will involve a build-out of 14 floors in the office tower, which will serve as K&L Gates' new Pittsburgh offices. Designed by Washington, D.C.-based Deborah Lehman-Smith, the LEED-certified project calls for a state-of-the-art conference facility and landscaping by Pamela Burton & Company of Los Angeles.

Additional improvements will include a renovation of the building’s lobby, façade and plazas. In 2010, K&L will move 710 employees from its current space in Downtown’s Oliver Building. “We’re taking an existing building and re-imagining it. This great site will give Pittsburgh a new plaza and hub,” says Lehman-Smith. “What’s more green than taking something and giving it a new use for the city of Pittsburgh?”

Designed to house 850 employees, the refurbished space will allow K&L Gates to consolidate some of its East Coast and global administrative functions in Pittsburgh. The international firm employs 1,700 lawyers in 28 offices in North America, Europe and Asia

As part of the project, One Oliver Plaza will be renamed the K&L Gates Center. In addition, the firm’s name will be placed on the top of the building, replacing the existing Ariba signs.

(Article written by Jennifer Baron and originally published by Pop City Media on October 15, 2008.)

http://www.popcitymedia.com/developmentnews/oliverplz1015.aspx

Lawyers Want More Time, Less Stress, Not More Money

(article originally published in Law Practice Management - October 2008)

Asked what one aspect of their law practice they would change, if they could, 31 percent of the 300 large law firm and corporate attorneys recently surveyed by Robert Half Legal said they wanted a less stressful work life. And another 30 percent wanted to work fewer hours or increase their personal time.
Only 2 percent said they wanted more more money, the California-based legal consulting firm reports in a press release (PDF).

To try to resolve such concerns and retain talented lawyers, many employers are adding benefits such as flexible and part-time scheduling, job sharing, telecommuting and compressed workweeks, says Charles Volkert, the consultant's executive director, in the release. "Job-related stress and work/life balance issues can lead to employee dissatisfaction and staff turnover, which may decrease a firm’s productivity and directly impact its ability to remain competitive.”

By Martha Neil for Law Practice Managment

http://www.abajournal.com/weekly/survey_says_lawyers_want_more_time_not_more_money

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