The firm's 250-person San Diego office will occupy the top six floors of the project, dubbed, Broadway 655. The office previously signed a letter of intent in June for the city-approved, $150 million development. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

"This is the right project, in the right location, and with strong sponsorship," says John Stoia, a managing partner of Milberg Weiss Bershad Hynes & Lerach. "This is a very gratifying step of the process and will enable the personnel of the San Diego office of Milberg Weiss Bershad Hynes & Lerach to occupy state-of-the-art office space enjoying some of the most commanding viewsavailable in downtown San Diego."

The agreement to take about 30% of the leasable square footage "reinforces our expectation to break ground for the project as scheduled in spring 2002, with completion anticipated in 2004," says Rob Lankford, president of San Diego-headquartered Lankford & Associates.