Jefferson County Attorney Mike O’Connell will relocate two of his office’s three divisions by year’s end to better serve the public and his employees.
The administrative office and Criminal Division will move from the Louis Brandeis Hall of Justice (600 W. Jefferson Street, Suite 2086) to the newly renovated 500W (500 W. Jefferson Street, Suite 1000) on November 28. The Child Support Division (currently at 315 W. Muhammad Ali) will close to the public on December 22 and reopen at Watterson Tower (1930 Bishop Lane, Suite 100) on January 2, 2024. The Jefferson County Attorney’s Civil Division will stay at the First Trust Centre (200 S. Fifth St., Suite 300 North) just a half block from 500W.
“We could not pass up this once-in-a-generation opportunity to move our main office and Child Support Division into two vastly improved spaces,” O’Connell said. “This is a giant leap forward for our ability to serve the people of Jefferson County and for the benefit of our staff.”
The current space in the Hall of Justice is undersized for the office’s needs. Most Criminal Division prosecutors currently do not have a personal office and no victim advocates have a dedicated office. Currently, this space constraint often forces preliminary conversations with witnesses and victims into hallways, an overbooked conference room, or a public lobby. The move from approximately 13,000 square feet of space into 37,000 square feet will aid in the retention and recruitment of employees and allow them to better serve victims, witnesses, and the public.
“Mayor Greenberg proposed additional budget dollars this year and Metro Council approved those funds,” O’Connell said. “We are so grateful to both Mayor Greenberg and Metro Council for their support to move our criminal and main offices in the service of public safety.”
The Jefferson County Attorney’s new office space on the 9th and 10th floors at 500W was formerly used by Baird, which moved to the top floors of the building. Each attorney and victim advocate will have their own office, as will most support staff.
500W is a Class A, 29-story office tower located in the heart of Louisville’s Central Business District. 500W owner and developer SomeraRoad completed the transformative multi-million-dollar renovations to the office building in summer 2023. The refreshed 550,000-square-foot tower features an updated exterior and lobby, including a lounge and the Barista Parlor coffee shop, flexible meeting spaces, a rooftop terrace, and a state-of-the-art fitness center.
“500W has positioned itself as a hub for the best of Louisville business and innovation,” said Andrew Marchetti, Senior Vice President, SomeraRoad. “We are proud to welcome Jefferson County Attorney Mike O’Connell and his team to the building. They will be a fantastic addition, contributing to the strong community being established throughout 500W.”
The Child Support Division moves from a building with no dedicated parking and limited natural light. The new office in Watterson Tower, part of Watterson Office Park, is centrally located within the county and on a major bus line (TARC Route 21) with ample parking for the public and staff. Child Support staff will work on just two floors, down from its current six, with additional space that the public will use on the building’s main floor. Total cost comparisons when factoring in rent and utility costs are nearly equal, as is the nearly 48,000 square feet of leased space for Child Support.
The County Attorney’s main office and the Criminal Division have been in their current location on the second floor of the nearly 50-year-old Hall of Justice since the late 1990s; the Child Support Division moved into its location on Muhammad Ali Blvd in the early 1990s.
As of November 2023, the office of the Jefferson County Attorney has 314 employees, 125 of whom work in the Child Support Division. Mike O’Connell and his 121 Assistant County Attorneys comprise the largest government law office in the state.
The Jefferson County Attorney’s Office would like to recognize the following for their direct assistance with the two moves: 500W owner SomeraRoad, including Senior General Manager of Property Management Ken Haskins, Senior Chief Engineer Todd Hutchison and their team; Watterson Office Park owner Robert Murray and Property Manager Kristen Smither; JLL Louisville, including Senior Vice President Yandell Wood; Cushman & Wakefield’s Brent Dolen and Sam Gray, leasing agents for 500W; Stephen C. Gault Co.; Amy Wilson Eley, LLC; Munson Business Interiors and its CEO Mindy Munson; and Louisville Metro Government Facilities staff, including Executive Director Mark Zoeller, Facilities Administrator Jessica Bell and Facilities Project Manager Dennis Arthur.
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