A deal is under way to establish a new London headquarters for the soon-to-merge UK and US law firms Berwin Leighton Paisner and Bryan Cave.
BLP is leading the discussions and is in advanced talks to let Governors House, EC4, the 120,000 sq ft office building at 5 Laurence Poutney Hill.
The offices, owned by Medholdings Company, a Cyprus-incorporated firm, were previously occupied by M&G on a lease expiring earlier this month.
M&G is moving its headquarters to Generali Real Estate’s 420,000 sq ft at 10 Fenchurch Avenue, EC3.
BLP has the option to extend its lease at Adelaide House, EC4, the 160,000 sq ft office building at London Bridge, which is owned on a long leasehold by St Martins Property, the UK-based real estate investment vehicle of the State of Kuwait. The freehold is owned by the City of London Corporation.
BLP currently occupies the entire building on a lease expiring in March 2019. No final decision about a relocation has been made.
BLP and US outfit Bryan Cave are due to complete their merger on 1 April, creating the global law firm Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner, with around 1,600 lawyers in 11 countries.
GM Real Estate is advising BLP.
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