Baker McKenzie is pulling up stakes in downtown Tampa, closing its office and shifting local staff to remote work as part of a global restructuring the firm says is meant to streamline operations. The move wipes out a high-profile hub that opened in 2019 as the Tampa Center, a back-office and legal-services outpost that joined a growing list of big employers trimming traditional office space in city cores.
The Tampa Bay Business Journal first reported the closure, noting that Baker McKenzie will shut its downtown footprint and transition affected employees to working from home. The firm has not disclosed how many Tampa roles are impacted, but the outlet reported that the change is part of a broader global restructuring.
Baker McKenzie’s locations page lists the Tampa Center at 401 E. Jackson Street, Suite 1000, and notes that the hub opened in 2019 to provide follow-the-sun support to its worldwide network. Marketed as a center for both legal work and business-support functions, the office was pitched as a key anchor for the firm’s presence in downtown Tampa. According to Baker McKenzie, the Tampa Center was part of the firm’s North American operations…