"By executing the lease now, they were able to take advantage of market conditions that allowed them to obtain a lease at an attractive rental rate well before their existing lease expired," says Thomas Kramer of locally based Jackson Cross Partners, who represented the law firm in the negotiations. Chris Dyer of the local office of CB Richard Ellis represented the building owner, Newton, MA-based HRPT Properties.

Neither disclosed the value or term of the lease. Dyer tells GlobeSt.com, "the term in excess of 10 years." The asking rental rate at Centre Square, he says, "is roughly $23.50 per sf, full service."

Centre Square is a two-building complex that includes an adjacent 36-story office tower. The buildings, often referred to as the Clothespin buildings after the Claus Oldenberg clothespin sculpture in the plaza, have an aggregate of 1.8 million sf. Dyer says Centre Square's overall occupancy "is now in the high 90%, because Comcast has not yet vacated. We are currently in negotiations with three prospective tenants and anticipate backfilling all the Comcast space before they move out."