Phillips Lytle

McGuire Development was retained in November 2011 to provide fiduciary oversight services to Phillips Lytle, LLP as it began navigating the relocation of its law firm’s headquarters from the Seneca One Tower to 125 Main Street. At the time of our engagement, Phillips Lytle already had entered into a thoroughly negotiated, detailed lease agreement with Benderson Development for the construction and tenancy of its new office space, and had employed the services of a national design firm to provide architecture, engineering, and interior design services.

Phillips Lytle sought the services of a firm with real estate expertise and an appreciation of Phillips Lytle’s budget and timeline constraints to provide oversight and fiduciary advocacy on its behalf through the construction process. Our work involved the management of a weekly project meeting with detailed minutes and agendas intended to keep the team members on track throughout the project as well as provide a record of all decisions made through the project.

McGuire Development’s team scrutinized the plans prepared by Benderson’s retained architecture firm for core and shell design, including especially HVAC design tolerances – which were of paramount importance to its attorneys and support staff, as well as Benderson’s self-performed construction specifications.

We provided feedback and advice to Phillips Lytle and challenged, where necessary the team members responsible for making the new headquarters a reality. With McGuire’s assistance, Phillips Lytle successfully relocated to its new office space a month ahead of schedule, avoiding costly holdover expenses at its former space, and the project was concluded within budget.