US law firm Dorsey & Whitney joins peer in relocating to Hong Kong’s Central business district amid falling rents

Dorsey & Whitney has taken up 3,500 sq ft of space at Alexandra House in Central

Office rents in Central are currently a third lower at HK$116 (US$14.8) per square foot compared with the peak of HK$170 in 2019

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Many companies are relocating to Hong Kong’s Central business district amid falling rents. Photo: Reuters

Published: 8:30am, 2 Jun 2022Updated: 9:22am, 2 Jun 2022

International law firm Dorsey & Whitney relocated on Wednesday to a 3,500 sq ft prime office space in Hong Kong’s main business district of Central, making it the latest law firm to take advantage of an office glut.

Such moves have offered some relief to office landlords in the city, who have been struggling as overall office vacancy rates remained stubbornly high at 9.4 per cent in March and April, according to JLL.

Dorsey’s office used to be in Pacific Place in the neighbouring district of Admiralty, where it stayed for more than two decades. It employs about 20 legal professionals in Hong Kong. The new office is in Alexandra House, a Hongkong Land property with 37 floors of office space above a retail podium called Landmark Alexandra that houses luxury brands such as Dolce & Gabbana, Prada, Saint Laurent and Tory Burch.

“Our new home in Hong Kong brings us much closer to our clients in the heart of Central,” said Simon Chan, head of Dorsey’s Hong Kong office. “Moving to this prestigious location and more efficiently using our space were two of the driving factors in our move.”

Simon Chan, head of law firm Dorsey & Whitney’s Hong Kong office. Photo: Handout

The move puts the firm within walking distance of clients, the stock exchange, banks, financial institutions, conglomerates, family offices, and local law firms that it serves and collaborates with, Chan said.