Stone Pigman Walther Wittmann L.L.C.
909 Poydras St.
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Seeking a modern and efficient law office, Stone Pigman’s move to 909 Poydras Street involved a committee of partners who worked with Nelson Worldwide to oversee the architectural renovations as well as the interior design, which were completed in August 2017. Using the blank slate of the existing office space, the team built out shell space for the three floors they now occupy in the high-rise office tower.
Journey to the 21st Century
Prior to the move, the firm’s offices were located in a building built in 1905 — the original City Hall Annex at 546 Carondelet Street. With the move, Stone Pigman used the opportunity to move from the 20th century to the 21st century in terms of both contemporary office design and furnishings.
“We wanted to be as efficient as possible in laying out our space requirements,” said Michael Walshe, chair of Stone Pigman’s management committee. “We wanted to have exterior light in the interior spaces to the [highest] degree possible, which informed our decisions about using clerestories in perimeter offices and laying out corridors to allow exterior light and views to be open on each floor.” In addition to allowing in the exterior natural light, the new offices also feature open and airy public spaces.
The management committee also wanted to separate the lawyers’ practice floors from the public meeting spaces on the 31st floor.
“It is not desirable to have client meetings in rooms that are in close proximity to lawyer offices where clients might overhear confidential conversations,” Walshe said.
“Because the 31st floor would be our public floor, we built team rooms on the practice floors for internal meetings,” Walshe added. “We also made a significant investment in technology both on the 31st floor and on the practice floors.”
An example of the technological upgrades is that all employees now have motorized adjustable-height desks. At the time, Stone Pigman was also attempting to reduce its paper usage, which led to less space needed for document storage.
In the new location Stone Pigman also has access to two outdoor terraces on the 31st floor of the high-rise building — space that the team was able to incorporate as outdoor meeting and entertainment space.
“We built out a new kitchen and cafe,” Walshe said. “This unique downtown feature [now] allows employees to have lunch outside in the middle of downtown. We are also able to host events for clients and organizations, employee happy hours and parties throughout the year on the balconies.”
Other standout features include two commissioned pieces from artist Shirley Rabe Masinter and unique architectural features.
“The wooden wall behind the receptionist desk and the desk itself were specifically designed for our space,” Walshe said. “We also have a good deal of custom millwork in the conference rooms and in the cafe.”
While Walshe admits that this certainly was a big project, he says that the Stone Pigman management committee worked closely with advisors through each phase of the redevelopment to achieve the firm’s move-in date and budget.
A Solid History
Founded in 1929, Stone Pigman works with businesses of all size on litigation matters for clients in state and federal courts throughout Louisiana and the Gulf South. The firm’s business lawyers assist clients in negotiating and documenting transactions both regional and national in scope.
Stone Pigman’s business practice grew from its origins in taxation and real estate, but, beginning in the 1970s, the firm’s litigation practice grew from antitrust into securities, oil and gas, utility regulation, bank regulation, insurance regulation, toxic tort, environmental, class action, and multi-district litigation.
Today, the firm is known throughout the Gulf South for its preeminent litigation practice. Its business practice has also grown from a corporate, tax and real estate base to include mergers and acquisitions, corporate and business law, securities, corporate finance, health care, employment benefits, intellectual property, technology, executive compensation, franchising, estate planning, and environmental and intellectual property law.
QUICK LOOK
Number of years in operation
94
Goal
design a modern law firm
Square footage
42,748
Number of Employees
98 total, 58 lawyers and 40 staff
Persons in Charge
Michael Q. Walshe, chair of management committee
Architecture
NELSON Worldwide, Inc.
Interior Décor
NELSON Worldwide, Inc. and Interior Investments
Initial Brand Development
NELSON Worldwide, Inc. and Interior Investments
Art and furnishings
Interior Investments
