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CHICAGO-Greenberg Traurig, LLP, one of the largest firms in the US and President George W. Bush's representatives in the 2000 Florida recount case, has renewed its lease at 77 W. Wacker Dr., expanding the deal to 78,413 sf. The deal pushes occupancy at the 51-story, 959,719-sf office building overlooking the Chicago River to 93.7%.

Although terms were not disclosed, asking lease rates at the 14-year-old building owned by a joint venture led Prime Group Realty Trust start at $23 per sf. Greg Gerber and Ari Klein of the John Buck Co. represented the Miami-based law firm, ranked among the 250 largest in the US with 1,500 attorneys worldwide. In addition to employing two former US attorneys, Greenberg Traurig's local staff includes President George H. W. Bush's former chief of staff and secretary of transportation, Samuel K. Skinner. The firm's Washington, DC office also included lobbyist Jack Abramoff until March 2004.

The building is part of Prime Group Realty Trust's 6.6-million-sf office portfolio acquired by Lakewood, NJ-based Lightstone Group in 2005 for $732.9 million. The REIT has earmarked $4.4 million in tenant improvements and leasing commissions to the joint venture.