The fully furnished office has "ample space to grow in accord with our plans," and is a "great environment" in terms of light and views, Goldberg said. The office is sufficient for 50 lawyers, he added, noting that the firm plans to expand.
During his 10-year tenure on the bench, Holwell handled many high-profile cases, including the insider trader trial of Galleon Group founder Raj Rajaratnam and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's civil case against media magnate Martha Stewart for alleged insider trading. Before that, Holwell was an attorney with White & Case for more than 30 years.
In addition to Holwell and Goldberg, Michael Shuster and Dorit Ungar Black are founding partners of the firm, which represents clients in complex commercial cases with a focus on financial, securities, antitrust and bankruptcy-related disputes. Holwell has been named chair of the panel that will hear appeals between the National Football League and the NFL Players' Association, according to Goldberg.
Studley handled the lease for both parties, including L. Craig Lemle, senior managing director, and Nicholas Zarnin, assistant director, for Holwell Shuster, and Greg Taubin, executive managing director, on behalf of Sedgwick.
UBS Financial Services Inc. has renewed its lease for its New York headquarters and increased its presence at 1285 Avenue of the Americas, between 51st and 52nd streets.
The 42-story Sixth Avenue tower, once known as the Equitable Building, spans more than 1.65 million square feet. Public records show a memorandum of lease between UBS AG Financial Services Inc. and owner 1285 LLC, an affiliate of AXA Equitable Life Insurance Co. along with investors advised by J.P. Morgan Asset Management.
There are conflicting reports on UBS' expansion square footage and the company's overall footprint. Two separate sources said that the expansion ranges from 40,000 square feet to 60,000 square feet, taking into consideration a loss factor, or the rentable/usable ratio, and current measurements. One source familiar with the deal said UBS' overall square footage is around 890,000 square feet while another said it was about 860,000 square feet.
UBS declined to comment on the extent of the expansion or speculations that it may relinquish some of its space.
Meyer Last, a partner at Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson, along with associate Jennifer Yashar represented UBS. In addition, attorney Neal Smolar, an executive director and regional head-Americas at UBS, advised UBS on the lease. Smolar is based in Weehawken, N.J.
Robert Bressman, a partner at Willkie Farr & Gallagher, along with associate Adam Feit represented the ownership.
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