Nexsen Pruet Announces Plans To Move Into New First Citizens Building

Columbia, SC - After nearly 20 years in its current location, Nexsen Pruet, LLC announced plans to move its Columbia office into the First Citizens Center, the bank's new corporate headquarters building currently under construction in the 1200 block of Main Street.

"This is a significant decision for us and an opportunity we could not pass up," said W. Leighton Lord III, a member of Nexsen Pruet's board of directors. "We have been in the same space for a long time, and this new location will let us update for the future and secure our occupancy for decades to come." Lord added that amenities such as underground parking for employees and the flexibility for Nexsen Pruet to add a roof-top garden enhanced the new location's appeal.

The move involves 192 people - 74 attorneys and 118 employees - and is scheduled for June 2008. The law firm will occupy a portion of the fourth floor and all of the fifth, sixth and seventh floors. For almost two decades, Nexsen Pruet has been located at the corner of Main and Hampton streets.

The new First Citizens complex represents a $50 million investment in downtown Columbia. The complex will include a nine-story tower and a plaza space, as well as 170,000 square feet of office space. The bank's executive offices, its main Columbia office, and several business lines and operations departments will be housed there.

Marguerite Willis, also a Nexsen Pruet board member, added that the move reinforces the Firm's longtime investment in downtown Columbia. "By selecting the First Citizens building, we'll be optimally positioned to build on our current growth and continue as a major contributor to this community," Willis said.

Nexsen Pruet, LLC is one of the largest law firms in the Carolinas, with more than 170 attorneys and offices in Columbia, Charleston, Greenville, Hilton Head, and Myrtle Beach, S.C., and Charlotte and Greensboro, N.C. Founded in 1945, Nexsen Pruet provides a broad range of legal services to the business community and represents companies and other entities in local, state, national, and international venues.