HINCKLEY ALLEN RENOVATING AT 28 STATE STREET IN BOSTON’S FINANCIAL DISTRICT
By Greg Ryan – Law and Money Reporter, Boston Business Journal
November 16, 2017
The law firm Hinckley Allen will be renovating its office at 28 State St. in Boston’s Financial District and taking on more space in the tower to make room for future growth.
The firm renewed its lease for 10 years. It is adding 7,260 square feet to its space, bringing its total up to 52,665 square feet. The publication Banker & Tradesman first reported the lease renewal.
Hinckley Allen managing partner David Rubin said the firm considered moving the 56-lawyer office to another neighborhood. It quickly ruled out the Seaport District because of transportation concerns, he said. Attorneys were worried that it would be more difficult to get to and from the office, including for client meetings, Rubin said. It similarly chose the Financial District over Back Bay because of the former’s accessibility.
“At the end of the day, we felt that in terms of the total package of access for our clients, access for the people who commute, we really like our location,” Rubin said. “We have great views of the city and the harbor. We’re close to Faneuil Hall, close to the waterfront. People felt really good about where we were.”
If the firm was going to stay, it was interested in a renovation of its space, Rubin said. The new-look office will be heavy on glass, natural light and collaborative spaces, trends that law firms across the city are embracing. Hinckley Allen’s Manchester, New Hampshire, office has a similar setup. (The firm’s Boston office is the largest of its six locations.)
“We’re going to have huddle space, where people can come outside of their offices and meet with other attorneys in an open-air location, not just a conference room,” Rubin said.
Because the firm will be moving up a floor by the end of the renovation process — from floors 28 through 30, to floors 29 through 31 — it will be able to fit out the space without lawyers having to work amid the construction, Rubin said. The renovations are expected to last through July.
Fusion Design Consultants, JDL Corporate Interiors and AFK Engineering are handling the renovation project. Cresa Boston represented Hinckley Allen in the real estate deal.
Hinckley Allen wanted the extra space for planned growth in Boston, according to Rubin. In September, the office added a partner to its health care practice, Anne Murphy, from Chicago.
The firm is well-known for its construction practice. It has corporate, litigation, real estate, and trust and estate practices. Rubin identified construction, health care and intellectual property as among the areas where the firm is looking to add lawyers.
