Leading New York City-based public finance law firm Hawkins, Delafield & Wood LLP is moving around the block this spring to One Chase Manhattan Plaza after 64 years at 67 Wall Street.
The 152-year-old firm expects to move into two floors of the Chase Manhattan building in mid-April, managing partner Howard Zucker said yesterday. The planned move reaffirms Hawkins’ historic commitment to the Wall Street area.
“The firm has always been downtown and our decision to remain in the Financial District is part of our commitment to the revitalization of the neighborhood following the 9/11 attack,” Zucker said.
The move will give Hawkins Delafield about 20% more room for the 65 attorneys it has based in the city, he said. The firm has six other offices — including ones in Washington, Los Angeles, and San Francisco — and employs about 100 lawyers all told. Its current home, 67 Wall, was recently acquired and the new owners intend to convert the property into a residential building, Zucker said.
Hawkins last year ranked second behind Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP as bond counsel nationally, working on 375 issues valued at a combined $23.6 billion, according to Thomson Financial. Hawkins was the top-ranked underwriters’ counsel in 2005, acting in that capacity on 166 transactions totaling $16.1 billion, according to Thomson.
From its start in 1854, Hawkins has focused on public finance and played a key role in the development of revenue bond financing, special tax districts for municipalities, and the formation of many of New York’s public authorities.
The late architect Gordon Bunshaft designed the 813-foot, aluminum-clad rectangular tower at the corner of Nassau and Liberty streets as the headquarters for the Chase Manhattan Bank during his time at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP, which has designed buildings such as the Lever House on Park Avenue, the Time Warner Center at Columbus Circle, and the new 52-story 7 World Trade Center. The architectural firm is also designing the planned Freedom Tower at the trade center site.
Former Chase Manhattan chairman David Rockefeller observed construction of the World Trade Center — a project he strongly supported as part of his commitment to a vibrant Financial District — from his office at the bank building. Soon, lawyers at Hawkins Delafield, which advised on the formation of the Liberty bond redevelopment program, will be able to watch the trade center rise again from the same view.
