WilmerHale was proud to host the first annual “Take the H.E.L.M.: Hire + Expand in Lower Manhattan” award ceremony in its downtown New York office at 7 World Trade Center (7 WTC). Take the H.E.L.M., an initiative of the New York City Economic Development Corporation, is a competition for companies seeking new office space in Lower Manhattan.

From an applicant pool of more than 300 companies, 19 finalists were chosen to come to Lower Manhattan to compete for the prestigious honor of being named one of up to five Take the H.E.L.M. winners, and for cash prizes of $250,000 each. Finalists competed on March 13 and were judged by a committee of 11 qualified individuals. Winners were announced at the awards ceremony on March 14. Visit takethehelmnyc.com to view the list of finalists and winners.

The Take the H.E.L.M. program was made possible by a grant from the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation (LMDC) which is funded through Community Development Block Grants from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development. LMDC was created in the aftermath of September 11, 2001 and is charged with ensuring Lower Manhattan recovers from the attacks and emerges even better than it was before.

WilmerHale’s New York office relocated to 7 WTC in July 2012. The office includes more technologically advanced and collaborative space, enabling the firm to further enhance its ability to provide clients with the highest quality services. The new office is at the forefront of environmental sustainability initiatives and demonstrates the firm’s commitment to the revitalization of Lower Manhattan.

WilmerHale has more than 100 corporate lawyers across its offices who work with entrepreneurs and emerging companies. These lawyers are concentrated in many of the most active startup markets including Boston, New York, Silicon Valley and Waltham in the United States and Berlin, Frankfurt and London in Europe.