NEW YORK CITY-The law firm responsible for recovering massive amounts of funds from the $100-billion Madoff Ponzi scheme is staying put at its Midtown offices. Baker & Hostetler LLP renewed its lease and approved an 118,634-square-foot expansion at 630 Fifth Ave. in Rockefeller Center, CB Richard Ellis announced today. CBRE’s EVP’s John Maher and Paul Myers, along with SVP Tom Shirocky, represented the firm’s 15-year lease.

Maher tells GlobeSt.com that the law firm explored a number of options outside of Rockefeller Center, but the group decided to stay within the Plaza District. “Ultimately they have enjoyed their experience in Rockefeller Center and we were able to structure a deal that allowed them the flexibility they needed to grow,” Maher says. Asking rents in the Tishman Speyer-owned building range from $65 per square foot to $75 per square foot, he says.

Focusing on business law, employment law and litigation across the globe, the deal is a continuation of the firm’s growth rate, Maher added. “Ten years ago they moved into the New York market to open up their first office and they selected an office at the Chrysler Building, and they did not sign a lease there because they already grew out of it,” he says. “They have been on a very consistent, solid growth path since the day they entered the New York market.”