The largest lease, 8,488 sf, was penned for the Houston office of Philadelphia-based Duane Morris LLP, one of the nation's largest law firms. The firm relocated from Crescent Real Estate Equities Co.'s Greenway Plaza office complex, Paul Wittorf with the Houston office of Transwestern Commercial Services tells GlobeSt.com. He and Transwestern's Rob Neblett represented the tenant in the negotiations.

Wittorf says the newly drafted, five-year lease represents a slight expansion for the law firm. He says the goal was to stay in the same submarket and Phoenix Tower had ready-to-go space tailored to the firm's needs. Chrissy Wilson represented the building owner, Houston's Hines. The tower's quoted rates range from $17 per sf to $21 per sf.

A 3,590-sf lease has been signed by Guidant Corp., which took the Phoenix Tower space for the medium term. The Indianapolis-headquartered designer and manufacturer of cardiovascular medical products is ramping up for the move from nearby 8934 Kirby Dr. Mary Maxey with CB Richard Ellis Inc. in Houston brokered the tenant's terms while Hines' Paula Bruns handled its side of the deal.