Global labor and employment law firm Ogletree Deakins is preparing to relocate its Washington, D.C. office to a larger space, marking a notable expansion of its local footprint. The firm will move from its current location at 1909 K St. NW to a new office at 1776 Eye St. NW, remaining in the same downtown business corridor but upgrading into a larger premises nearby.
Ogletree Deakins has signed a lease for 24,000 square feet at 1776 Eye St. NW, increasing its occupancy from 19,630 square feet at its existing office. The move represents an expansion of more than 4,000 square feet and underscores the firm’s commitment to maintaining a significant presence in the D.C. office market. The relocation is scheduled to be completed in March 2027, giving the firm a clear timeline for transition and build-out planning at its new address.
The new office is located within Republic Place, a 10-story office building totaling 225,000 square feet at 1776 Eye St. NW. The property is owned by New York-based Rockrose Development Corp., which holds the building as part of its office portfolio. Republic Place sits directly across the street from the Farragut West Metro station and just a few blocks north of the White House, placing tenants in a highly central, transit-served, and institutionally oriented part of the city’s core.
Ogletree Deakins’ decision to move into a larger space within this location reflects ongoing demand from law firms for centrally located, higher-quality office product. Although lease economics and term were not disclosed, the expansion within a modern multi-tenant office building owned by an institutional landlord highlights how professional services firms are continuing to prioritize both location and building quality when making occupancy decisions.
Recent market research from Transwestern, summarized in its Washington Law Firm Tenancy Report, provides additional context for the move. According to the report, law firms accounted for 23% of total office leasing activity in the market during 2025, up from 19% in 2024 and well ahead of the 10-year average of 16%. This data points to law firms taking a larger share of overall office demand than they have historically, even as many occupiers continue to reassess space needs.
The report further notes that law firms remain among the most resilient office tenants and that a pronounced flight-to-quality trend is shaping leasing decisions. In practice, this means that even as some tenants reduce footprints or delay commitments, firms in the legal sector are still driving activity in well-located, higher-quality assets. Ogletree Deakins’ expansion at Republic Place, with its proximity to a Metro station and key federal and business institutions, aligns with this broader trend of tenants upgrading into better buildings in core locations rather than simply renewing in existing space.
For the owner, Rockrose Development Corp., securing an expanding global law firm at Republic Place supports occupancy and reinforces the property’s positioning within the competitive D.C. office landscape. For the broader market, the transaction adds another data point showing that law firm demand is helping to backfill and upgrade space in well-situated office buildings, even as overall office fundamentals remain under pressure in many urban cores.
