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\t\tPhoto by Vuk Valcic\/SOPA Images\/LightRocket via Getty Images\t<\/p>\n\t\t\tThursday 26 March 2026 6:00 am
\n\t\t\t\t\t\u00a0|\u00a0\u00a0Updated:\u00a0<\/p>\n
\t\t\tWednesday 25 March 2026 6:54 pm\n\t<\/p>\n
\t\tPhoto by Vuk Valcic\/SOPA Images\/LightRocket via Getty Images\t<\/p>\n
If you\u2019ve had the pleasure of visiting a top law firm in London, you might mistake yourself for being in an episode of smash US legal drama (and Duchess of Sussex starring) Suits.<\/p>\n
Increasingly City firms\u2019 offices have a more American feel to them.<\/p>\n
In the City of London, it is not just a race to raise lawyers\u2019 salaries; post-pandemic, top law firms are also fighting to secure what they deem to be the best offices as the gap between \u2018average\u2019 and \u2018best-in-class\u2019 offices widens.<\/p>\n
In 2025, law firms leased 828,450 sq ft in London, up by over 13 per cent from 2024, according to property adviser Knight Frank. <\/p>\n
That is because law firms are increasingly prioritising the \u2018highest-quality workspace\u2019 on the market, Grade A, as they dominate the stats for take-up of newly built and refurbished offices. <\/p>\n
Kevin Darvishi, head of leasing at property developer Stanhope, explained to City AM that \u201ccorporate occupiers, including law firms, are now using the office as a tool to attract and retain the best staff.\u201d <\/p>\n
The data showed that law firms are shunning fringe locations in favour of the City (around the Square Mile and EC2 postcode), and Midtown (the area between the West End and the City of London). <\/p>\n
Even Clifford Chance will be joining the City sometime this year, leaving Canary Wharf behind. <\/p>\n
Bishopsgate has become a premium location, and if you threw a stone, you\u2019d hit at least five of the most notable law firms.<\/p>\n
\u201c8 Bishopsgate alone, law firms account for well over a third of the building, with names like King & Spalding, Proskauer Rose and HFW collectively taking more than 200,000 sq ft,\u201d stated Darvishi.<\/p>\n
It seems firms were keen on amenities such as terraces, restaurants, gyms and event spaces, as well as proximity to Liverpool Street Station. <\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\tRead more<\/p>\n
\t\t\tAccountancy firms lag behind legal firms in gender equality at top level<\/a><\/p>\n Not surprisingly, it has been US firms driving much of this demand for space, as the data show they account for five of the top 10 legal-sector deals of 100,000 sq ft or more over the past five years. <\/p>\n US law firms have been expanding their presence in London, triggering a pay war in the market as they add the best and brightest to their headcount. <\/p>\n To do this, they have turned Bishopsgate into Midtown Manhattan. <\/p>\n Darvishi noted: \u201cFor many US firms, the London office isn\u2019t just a cost centre, it\u2019s a billboard: taking a big, glossy tower floor is a way of signalling to clients and rivals that they\u2019re here to play at the very top of the market.\u201d <\/p>\n It seems this is what many lawyers want, as landlords in Bishopsgate report higher attendance among their legal tenants than in their old offices, particularly Monday to Thursday, with staff drawn in by the space\u2019s quality and views.<\/p>\n \u2018Under supply\u2019 of office spaces<\/p>\n However, for those who have leases set to expire, joining the huddle in EC2N may not be as simple as signing on the dotted line. <\/p>\n \u201cWhere there were once three or four major towers under construction at any given time, today you can count the new City skyscrapers on one hand, and much of that space is already spoken for,\u201d Darvishi explained. <\/p>\n He added that \u201cthe under-supply of corporate buildings in the City is forcing law firms to behave more like developers, thinking in 5\u2011 to 10\u2011year horizons, not just rolling the lease every few years.\u201d<\/p>\n For the firms that leave it late, they will discover what undersupply really means: not just higher rents, but a much shorter list of buildings that can actually take them.<\/p>\n