Downtown law firm decides to stay there

As they began looking for more space, the lawyers of McDonald Carano Wilson thought seriously about leaving downtown Reno.

In the end, however, the law firm decided it needs to be close to the courts.

McDonald Carano Wilson plans to move to about 25,000 square feet at 100 W.

Liberty the old Porsche building in July.

The firm will be moving from the Western Title building at 241 Ridge, where it occupies about 20,000 square feet on three floors.

"We've outgrown this building both physically and professionally," said John Frankovich, managing partner of the firm.

The building that currently houses the firm, Frankovich said, was built by five of its six original partners in 1973.

They sold it to an investment group several years ago.

When Frankovich joined the firm in 1973, he was the fifth lawyer working at McDonald Carano Wilson.

Today, the firm employs 22 lawyers and a total of about 50 people in the Reno office.

(Statewide, the firm has 40 lawyers.) As the firm grew, Frankovich said, office and conference space was carved out wherever it was available.

"We planned 5,000 square feet a time," he said.

"Now we can plan 25,000 square feet a time."

The new office is being designed by SmithGroup, a national company that specializes in professional offices.

Q&D Construction of Sparks is the general contractor on the renovation.

Although McDonald Carano Wilson ultimately chose to stay in the downtown area, the decision wasn't an easy one.

At one point, Frankovich said, the firm was close to nailing down a deal to build a new office building outside of the downtown area.

"We had lots and lots of discussions about where to locate," he said.

"Most of our partners wanted to stay close to the courts.We have a lot of litigators here."

Frankovich said, too, that partners in the firm think the downtown area is poised for a rebound, particularly with completion of the train trench and the events center.

"We have a lot of confidence in downtown Reno," he said.

The space that McDonald Carano Wilson will occupy previously was leased by another law firm, Hale Lane, which moved to a new building at Mountain View Corporate Centre near Del Monte and Kietzke lanes.