After seriously considering relocating to a new office building, the Von Briesen & Roper S.C. law firm announced that it will remain in the 411 Building at 411 E. Wisconsin Ave. in downtown Milwaukee.

Von Briesen & Roper president and chief executive officer Randall Crocker said the firm liked several proposed office building developments, but felt none of them would get done soon enough to meet the firm's timeline. The firm went into the office space market in the fall of 2009, and no new office buildings have begun construction downtown since then.

"We space-planned several new and existing buildings," Crocker said. "After an exhaustive search…we concluded that the proposal from the 411 Building best meets our needs."

The law firm, which was represented by Terence McMahon of The Boerke Company, also received a strong offer to stay put, Crocker said. The building is owned by Santa Ana, Calif.-based Triple Net Properties LLC.

"The 411 Building made us an offer that we could not refuse," Crocker said. "The cost structure of our real estate allows us to remain very price-competitive in our marketplace."

The firm will expand its space in the building from 50,000 to 70,000 square feet of space, occupying three entire floors. The firm recently added a public finance section and is growing in other areas, Crocker said.

Under the new lease, the firm will occupy space that will be renovated on floors 9, 10 and 11. The firm currently occupies floors 7, 8 and part of 12.

Von Briesen has more than 200 employees in its downtown Milwaukee office.

Another law firm, Quarles & Brady, also occupies space in the building and has a large sign on the top of the 30-story structure. Previously, Crocker cited the sign as a drawback for Von Briesen in the building. The firm's new lease includes significant signage rights, which could be placed on the 17th floor of the building's façade, but Crocker said he is unsure if the firm will exercise those rights.

Von Briesen has been a tenant in the 411 Building since 1985. Crocker said the firm's employees like the building and are glad to stay there.

"Our clients and our people have been satisfied with the 411 Building," he said. "It is in the heart of Milwaukee, provides excellent parking and services, and is a timeless building."

The 654,165-square-foot building currently is 19.05 percent vacant, with a total of 124,620 square feet of vacant space, according to Xceligent and the Commercial Association of Realtors Wisconsin (CARW).