Defender Association of Philadelphia announces long-term lease extension at headquarters

PHILADELPHIA, PA - July 18, 2024 – JLL announced today it represented the Defender Association of Philadelphia in its headquarters lease renewal at 1441 Chestnut Street. In addition to the renewal, the organization tapped JLL to optimize the space and support workflow efficiencies for the legal nonprofit organization.

“The Defender Association of Philadelphia is a vital organization to our community doing important work day in and day out, and we’re grateful they will be able to continue to grow in their reimagined Chestnut Street office,” said Joshua Sloan, International Managing Director, JLL. “We worked closely with the team at Defender Association to create a floor plan that identified envelopes of space to ensure each square foot was maximized. We’re confident this workspace will allow them to collaborate successfully for years to come.”

Changes to the floor plan include increasing the number of offices, conference rooms, a training center and a Moot Courtroom. The Defender Association’s team, led by Chief Defender Keisha Hudson, First Assistant Defender Sarah Allen, and Labor Relations Lead Evert Gillison, partnered with Sloan and his team to achieve these layout solutions.

JLL’s Joshua Sloan, and David Healy, represented the Defender Association of Philadelphia in lease negotiations. The 117,000-square-foot transaction represents one of the largest office lease renewals occurring this year in Philadelphia and was completed in extensive collaboration with the General Partner of the landlord, David Grasso, President and Co-Founder of Method Co.

“We are extremely pleased to continue and expand our 24+ year relationship with the Defender Association of Philadelphia at the Packard Building. This transaction is a significant achievement in a turbulent office market in Center City and its completion is a testament to the efforts of all the parties involved,” said Grasso.

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