Freshfields New York

Overview

Opportunity

Solution

Impact

Team

Moving away from a traditional law office model, Freshfields’ light and airy workplace at 3 World Trade Center boasts sweeping views and a curated art collection.

Location

New York, New York

Client

Freshfields

Expertise

Professional Services Brand Design

Opportunity

The growing U.S. practice needed a New York home that could honor their global legacy while supporting a more connected, contemporary culture.

Freshfields’ relocation to Lower Manhattan marks a significant step in the firm’s continued U.S. growth. Its new workplace needed to serve clients at the highest level, attract leading legal talent, and bring lawyers and business professionals together without compromising privacy or focus. The challenge was to move beyond the enclosed, corridor-driven conventions of traditional law offices, preserving what clients expect from a centuries-old global firm but creating room for its New York practice to keep evolving.

Why This Matters

01
Platform for Growth
The new headquarters needed to accommodate Freshfields’ expanding U.S. presence while giving its New York teams a flexible, sophisticated environment built for continued growth.
02
Elevated Client Service
Freshfields envisioned an office where advanced technology, hospitality, and adaptable meeting settings could strengthen collaboration and deliver a consistently exceptional experience for visiting clients.
03
Where Talent Thrives
The firm needed a workplace that supports focused legal work while creating more reasons for colleagues to build relationships and strengthen culture.

FPO Quote

Solution

At 3 World Trade Center, four high-rise floors became a light-filled, vertically connected workplace, using art, hospitality, and movement to evoke a gallery loft.

Three interconnecting staircases link the practice floors through work cafés and gathering spaces, turning circulation into a daily catalyst for interaction. Glass-front offices draw daylight into the interior while privacy features protect confidential work. Across the two-level conference center, jewel-box meeting rooms, boardrooms, lounges, and a full-service café support client meetings and events. A restrained industrial palette, warm wood, residential furnishings, and Freshfields’ diverse art collection create a refined backdrop for focused work and shared experience.

As law office design evolves with cultural change, this workplace offers a renewed expression of tradition.

Shared spaces and interconnecting stairs bring clients, mentors, and peers together organically while preserving the focus and discretion essential to legal work.

What Changed Because of This

01
More Connected Practices
Three interconnecting staircases and floor-level hubs create natural points of exchange, strengthening relationships across teams that previously worked within more separated environments.
02
Client-Ready Spaces
A two-level conference center, flexible event settings, and dedicated food service give Freshfields a more adaptable, welcoming platform for hosting clients.
03
Future-Ready Legal Workplace
Light, art, expansive views, and refined materials express the firm’s stature through openness and confidence rather than the conventions of a traditional law office.

Recognition

01

Society Of Registered Architects (SARA) Design Awards

Freshfields New York received a 2025 SARA Award of Merit, recognizing its hospitality-driven workplace and architectural detailing.

02

New York Real Estate Journal

Coverage highlighted Gensler’s design of the office, including its interconnecting stairs, extensive glazing, and amenity program.

03

Office Insight

The completed Gensler design was spotlighted for its interconnecting stairs, glass office fronts, daylight strategy, and integrated amenities.

Team

Project Leadership

[FPO] Timothy Bromiley

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[FPO] Jeremy Jonet

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FAQ

01

Where is Freshfields’ New York office?

Freshfields occupies floors 51 through 54 at 3 World Trade Center in Lower Manhattan.

02

How large is Freshfields’ New York workplace?

The office spans approximately 180,000 square feet across four contiguous floors.

03

What inspired the workplace design?

The design draws on the character of an urban loft gallery, combining open sightlines, industrial elements, warm materials, and Freshfields’ curated art collection.

04

Who designed Freshfields’ New York office?

Freshfields’ New York office at 3 World Trade Center was designed by Gensler with construction management handled by JT Magen. The building was designed by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners.

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Related Expertise

Professional Services Brand Design

Moving away from a traditional law office model, Freshfields’ light and airy workplace at 3 World Trade Center boasts sweeping views and a curated art collection.

The growing U.S. practice needed a New York home that could honor their global legacy while supporting a more connected, contemporary culture.

Why This Matters

At 3 World Trade Center, four high-rise floors became a light-filled, vertically connected workplace, using art, hospitality, and movement to evoke a gallery loft.

As law office design evolves with cultural change, this workplace offers a renewed expression of tradition.

What Changed Because of This

Recognition