The firm is relocating from 5252 Westchester. The law firm has offices in San Francisco and Washington, DC. It specializes in representing clients with environmental liabilities.

Steve Rocher and Kristen Porter, both of Grubb & Ellis Co.'s Houston office, represented the building owner, BMS Management. Ron McWherter of the Houston office for CB Richard Ellis Inc. represented the law firm. In another recent lease, accountant Dana Kirk signed for a 4,091-sf office.

The Chase Bank building is a 13-floor, 207,534-sf design. Constructed in 1984, the building is about 87% occupied, bearing a rental rate of about $20 per sf.

The Chase Bank building is part of a 28-million-sf office inventory in the submarket, according to Grubb & Ellis. The submarket is second in size to the CBD. The area commands class A lease rates of $22.52 per sf and class B rates of $18.53 per sf.

The Galleria has been struggling as a submarket, posting a negative absorption of 374,714 sf in the first quarter. And once again, its ranking fell right behind the CBD.