Venerable law firm moves to new downtown digs

The Tampa law firm Johnson Pope Bokor Ruppel & Burns is moving.

The firm has signed a lease for 33,175 square feet in the Rivergate Tower in downtown. It will move from its current office on Jackson Street in October.

Kelley Matheson, first vice president for CBRE, says in a statement that the law firm will take the top two floors of the 32-floor building, which features high ceilings, floor-to-ceiling window and an unobstructed view of the city and Tampa Bay.

CBRE represented the landlord, Banyan Street Capital.

Pope Bokor Ruppel & Burns will relocate about 68 employees, about 41 of them attorneys. The firm also has offices in Clearwater and St. Petersburg.

The firm was founded in 1973. Among its areas of practice are business litigation, administrative law, construction law and land use.

Rivergate Tower is at 400 Ashley Blvd. right at the entrance to downtown and across the Hillsborough River from the University of Tampa. According to CBRE, it includes a tenant lounge, a cafe, two conference room and training centers, dry cleaning services, a fitness center and valet parking, Malio’s Steakhouse and an outdoor terrace cafe and bar along the Riverwalk.

While Rivergate is the official name, for many locals the 515,965-square-foot tower has long been, and will likely always be, known as the “beer can” building.