Collection Law Firm Moves Headquarters with View on Expansion

Javitch, Block & Rathbone (JB&R), a three time winner of the Weatherhead 100 Award for fastest growing companies in Northeast Ohio, is packing up and heading south ?- a few blocks south of their present location, that is.

The rapidly-growing creditor rights law firm has leased 54,000 square feet of office space at the 1100 Superior Avenue (the old Diamond Shamrock Building), and plans to move their downtown office to the new location in the 4th quarter of 2006. JB&R has 200 employees in their downtown Cleveland location and 80 at their Independence office on Rockside Road.

JB&R’s move to the 1100 Superior Building represents a year of research by the firm and extensive negotiations with building managers and numerous discussions with the City of Cleveland. The firm, which has been headquartered in downtown Cleveland since its inception in 1991, has grown to become the fourth largest creditor rights law firm in the country.

Presently, JB&R occupies 36,000 square feet of space on the 14th and 15th floors of the Penton Media Building and 12,000 square feet of office space on Rockside Road in Independence. In order to meet their space requirements for existing employees and technology, and plan for future growth, the firm needed 50,000 to 60,000 square feet of space. The firm had three options: stay where they were and take on more space, find a new location with enough room for the firm’s growth plans in downtown or the suburbs, or build their own building in the suburbs.

The firm required quality space, including 24 hour security and access, fire protective sprinkler systems, emergency power, and tenant centric maintenance. Although cost was a major concern, the cost of employee parking came into play.

“Parking is a major issue for our employees. Convenience and cost of parking in downtown Cleveland can place a severe limitation on our labor pool. We have every confidence that future city officials will want to encourage companies to stay downtown by offering tax incentives and affordable and convenient parking, as well as improving the safety and convenience of public transportation.” said Joel Rathbone, Co-Managing Partner with Bruce Block.

Chris Livingston, a principal of Staubach Co., a commercial real estate service working with JB&R in their search, says the city should act as an advocate for businesses. “It is critical for the city to keep existing businesses downtown and bring new companies into this area. They can continue to do that by offering incentives and improving city services,” he says.

JB&R is a creditor rights firms practicing in Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky with offices in Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati and Indianapolis. Their practice is concentrated in the areas of collections, bankruptcy, commercial litigation, landlord/tenant law, insurance subrogation, and business transactions.