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Hughes Watters Askanase Office Relocation to Total Plaza in December 2015 Caps Off Eventful Business Year, Positions Firm for GrowthHughes Watters Askanase L.L.P. (www.hwa.com) ended an especially eventful and memorable 2015 business year with its relocation in December to new, modern offices on the 28th Floor of Total Plaza. Total Plaza is located at 1201 Louisiana Street in the center of downtown Houston. HWA employs 24 attorneys and 72 full-time staff. HWA worked with CBRE to plan and execute the 25,000-square-foot office relocation from Three Allen Center at 333 Clay Street to Total Plaza. Kevin Kushner and Lucian Bukowski with CBRE's Houston office represented HWA in the lease transaction. Clint Bawcom, Jon Dutton and Margaret Sigur represented the landlord, Brookfield Office Properties. David Dalton, and Brian Gabbard led the design team from Kirksey Architecture, while Marc Perilloux and Quinn Williams of O'Donnell Snider Construction managed the build out. "With tremendous help from Kevin and Lucian of CBRE, HWA capitalized on the opportunity to build out and occupy an entire floor in Total Plaza. We found ourselves truly in a win-win-win situation in that our previous space was in high demand at a time when our lease was up for renewal and the space in Total Plaza became available. My partners and I at HWA had been contemplating a move for quite a while, and 2015 proved to be the perfect time to make this move. Taking on a huge project like this was much easier and less stressful with the excellent support we received from CBRE, Kirksey, and O'Donnell Snider," commented Wayne Kitchens, co-managing partner for HWA and head of the Business Bankruptcy Practice Area. Kitchens, who joined HWA in 1988 as an associate after graduating from the University of Houston Law Center in 1984, has witnessed the evolution of the firm first-hand and has contributed to its growth. Kitchens and co-managing partner Gary Gunn made HWA's office relocation one of their highest priorities of 2015. "We have heard words like 'edgy, cool, and modern' to describe our new space - and those are not words that are typically associated with law firm offices. Our staff, clients and friends of our firm are very happy with the 'vibe,' décor, and location of our new space. We can easily accommodate the addition of new attorneys and support staff as our firm pursues and achieves our strategic growth objectives fr future years. Although this new space is slightly smaller than our previous space in Allen Center, Kirskey implemented a modern layout that fosters greater employee satisfaction by creating a comfortable and collaborative workplace. Our people and our clients love coming here," Kitchens added. Floor to ceiling windows provide ample natural lighting and spectacular views; all attorney offices are the same size regardless of attorney tenure with the firm or years of experience; practice areas are color-coded; white noise in the background makes for an incredibly quiet, calming work environment; technology and telecommunications assets are state-of-the art and leading edge; and a Wellness Room is accessible to all employees for short breaks during the business day. Parking in and near the building is much easier for staff, clients and visitors - and those who commute have easy access to Metro light rail and transit buses. Kitchens added: "Calendar year 2015 was one of the best years in the recent history of our firm. Allison Byman, Simon Mayer, Nathan Milliron, Sabrina Neff, and Sarah Robbins were recognized in March on the list of Rising Stars published each year by Texas Monthly and Super Lawyers. Timothy Million joined us in July as an associate in our Business Bankruptcy Practice Area. Dominique Varner was honored with the Italian Flame Award from the Italian Cultural and Community Center of Houston. David Askanase, Randy Rios, Carolyn Taylor, and I were recognized by Best Lawyers in America in September, and the firm as a whole received a First Tier ranking in Houston in Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights and Insolvency and Reorganization Law by U.S. News - Best Lawyers® for the Sixth Edition of 'Best Law Firms.' " Kitchens was named among the Top 100 Lawyers in Houston by Super Lawyers for the third year. Gunn, who leads the Real Estate and Real Estate Finance Practice Area and the Commercial Finance Practice Area, was named a top-rated real estate attorney by Super Lawyers for the third consecutive year. Askanase, Rios, Steve Shurn, and Taylor also were recognized on the list of Super Lawyers in 2015. About Hughes (News - Alert) Watters Askanase L.L.P. For almost 40 years, Hughes Watters Askanase, L.L.P. has helped business organizations, financial institutions and individuals succeed with their business endeavors. The firm's attorneys play a strategic role and support clients through every stage of existence and operation. The firm's practice focuses on representation of commercial and mortgage lenders, including banks and credit unions, business bankruptcy, business planning and strategy, default servicing, real estate and real estate finance, commercial and consumer financial services litigation, employment law, and wills and probate. For more information on Hughes Watters Askanase, L.L.P., please visit www.hwa.com. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160211006549/en/ |
