The drumbeat of law firms leasing space in Denver’s newest downtown office tower, Patrinely’s Block 162, continues with Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck signing the building’s largest lease so far at 100K SF, according to a press release Monday.

Brownstein’s lease accounts for about 17% of the total office space available in the 596K SF building at 675 15th St. Patrinely built Block 162 in a joint venture with USAA Real Estate, delivering it in early 2021.

Leasing progress at the building has been hampered by the pandemic and its nationwide impact on office leasing, but it has gained traction since the beginning of 2022, especially among law firms.

“As one of the premier law firms in Colorado and the entire Rocky Mountain region, Brownstein’s decisions to relocate the headquarters to Block 162 is a validation of our strategy to deliver a new standard of quality compared to other office buildings in Denver,” Patrinely Senior Vice President David Haltom said in the press release.

Denver-area brokers report that law firms are among the top office users bringing employees back to the office, and that high-quality office space is seen as a recruitment and retention tool in an increasingly competitive talent market.

Legal services are among the industries specifically targeted by Patrinely and its leasing team, Haltom told Bisnow in an interview earlier this year. All of the leases signed so far at Block 162 are for law firms, and the new Brownstein lease nearly doubles the square footage leased in the building so far.

Denver-founded Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck is among the top lobbying firms in the country in terms of revenue and provides lobbying and legal services to many of the city’s largest real estate businesses.

“Our move to Block 162 in Denver’s central core reaffirms a commitment to the city and Colorado that Norm Brownstein, Jack Hyatt and Steve Farber made when they founded the firm 54 years ago,” Brownstein Managing Partner Rich Benenson said in the release.

Brownstein intends to move into Block 162 in 2023, upon the completion of tenant improvements.