Wayne Shulman, with HSA Commercial Real Estate, represented the firm in the lease transaction and worked with Nikki Krohn, with Jones Lang LaSalle. The law firm is currently at 225 W. Washington St., where it leases approximately 6,500 sf, and will move to the new location in March, Shulman says.

The 41-story 55 W. Monroe was designed by Helmut Jahn in 1981 and renovated in 2002. Monahan & Cohen chose 55 W. Monroe St. because the firm needed to expand and the building offered space on a high floor for more competitive rates than the firm's current location, Shulman says. The lease rate was not disclosed but there will be yearly escalations, he says. The lease included a "very generous tenant improvement package and an aggressive incentive package," he says. The asking lease rate for the high rise portion of the building is $20 per sf, net.

The 803,046-sf building is 70% leased, mainly by law firms. "Medium-sized law firms have a tendency to be attracted to this building because of the proximity, which is almost equally distant between the Daley Center and Federal Plaza," Shulman says.