In our new content series “Beyond Boundaries,” we highlight how Brandywine tenants are going beyond the boundaries of their physical spaces to achieve business success, create impact, build brand, foster culture and connection, and much more. In this installment, we spoke with leaders at Fox Rothschild, which in 2023 announced its move from its home of 46 years to Brandywine’s Two Commerce Square. Read on for our conversation with Philadelphia Office Managing Partner, Lauren McKenna and Chief Operating Officer Paul Straub.
Why was it important to Fox Rothschild to maintain a physical presence in Philadelphia?Philadelphia is at the heart of our firm's history; it is where Fox Rothschild was founded back in 1907, and for nearly 80 years, it was our only location. Our move to Two Commerce Square reflects our sustained commitment to the City of Brotherly Love. We wanted a vibrant and central location, convenient to major transit hubs and highways, offering a flexible workspace that accommodates the realities of a hybrid work environment. Two Commerce Square delivered all that and more to us.
What were the top three decision factors that drove you to select Commerce Square as the new home of Fox Rothschild?
We were so impressed with the offerings and opportunities available to us at Two Commerce Square. First, it’s an optimal downtown location, situated near interstates and transit for the convenience of our attorneys, business professionals, clients, and visitors. Second, the building affords us with an exceptional amount of adaptability in scale and scope. We were able to reconceptualize our workplace for a hoteling and hybrid workforce. We have universalized office size, created natural light-filled collaboration spaces, and integrated state-of-the-art, forward-looking technology. And lastly, we appreciated the array of amenities including contemporary conference and collaboration spaces for firm and client events.
How will your new space help your company fulfill its mission and support your employees?
Our relationships with our clients are at the center of what we do and who we are as one of the nation’s top law firms. Our new space at Two Commerce Square aligns with our mission by continuing to prioritize our clients in all we do. From the convenient location to the exceptional amenities, we know our clients and visitors will enjoy the experience of our new office location. Additionally, in the dedicated conference spaces and multimedia-equipped rooms we have created, our attorneys and business professionals can collaborate across our national network of 30 offices and continue to forge connections with colleagues to drive innovation and efficiencies that benefit our clients.
As the role of the workplace evolves, what does it mean to Fox Rothschild as an organization?
In our space at Two Commerce Square, we were able to implement best practices in office design for the hybrid workplace. We formulated a streamlined and flexible workspace with a built-in-future, free-address concept that aligns strategically with our continued growth as a firm and with the evolving needs of our clients and employees. Our goal was to create a workplace with the highest degree of flexibility, in a centralized and convenient downtown location, in a building with superb amenities, that would draw our attorneys and business professionals together for ideas and efficient collaboration. And with Brandywine as our partner, we accomplished all of that.
How was your experience collaborating with Brandywine as your workplace partner?
In a word: Outstanding. Brandywine has been a strategic collaborator, attentive listener, and trusted partner throughout this process. This move was an enormous undertaking and a significant cultural change for us, and Brandywine has made the transition seamless. We had been a tenant for more than 40 years in our prior building. They intuitively understood the implications of that for us. They were unfailingly responsive to our needs, priorities and goals and helped us bring them all to fruition. They were with us at every step – from tours to lease review, pre-construction and beyond.
For more conversations like this one, explore our "Beyond Boundaries" content series.
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