High-rise commercial buildings

Sub Markets

Property Sectors

Topics

New York & Tri-State CRE News In Your Inbox.

Sign up for Connect emails to stay informed with CRE stories that are 150 words or less.

New York & Tri-State  + Midtown New York  + Office  | 

Manhattan Legal Sector Office Leasing Reaches New H1 High

Manhattan’s legal sector office leasing volume totaled 3.57 million square feet in the first half (H1) of 2026, marking the strongest first-half leasing period on record for the sector, reported Colliers. It was also 66.0% above the H1 2025 total of 2.15 million square feet, the previous midyear high, and more than double the ten-year H1 average of 1.52 million square feet.

“The year-over-year increase in legal sector demand far outpaced the 10.5% growth in Manhattan’s overall leasing activity during the same period,” according to Colliers. “Furthermore, if the same level of activity occurs in H2, annual law firm volume in
2026 would shatter both the previous record of 4.04 million square feet set in 2023 and the 3.74 million square feet leased in 2025.”

The largest Manhattan law firm office lease in H1 2026 was the 916,000-square-foot commitment Simpson Thacher & Bartlett made to Extell Development’s 570 Fifth Ave.

    Read More News Stories About: Colliers
    Connect

    Inside The Story

    Colliers New York Tri-State Region

    About Paul Bubny

    Paul Bubny serves as Senior Content Director for Connect Commercial Real Estate, a role to which he brings 16-plus years’ experience covering the commercial real estate industry and 30-plus years in business-to-business journalism. In this capacity, he oversees daily operations while also reporting on both local/regional markets and national trends, covering individual transactions across all property types, as well as delving into broader subject matter. He produces 7-10 daily news stories per day and works with the Connect team and clients to develop longer-form content, ranging from Q&As to thought-leadership pieces. Prior to joining Connect, Paul was Managing Editor for both Real Estate Forum and GlobeSt.com at American Lawyer Media, where he oversaw operations at both publications while also producing daily news and feature-length articles. His tenure in B2B publishing stretches back into the print era, and he has served as Editor in Chief on four national trade publications. Since 1999, Paul has volunteered as the newsletter editor of passenger rail advocacy groups (one national, one local).

    • ◦Lease
    New call-to-action