Attorney C. Mark Warren didn’t mind the drive to the Dome Building, the stately Georgia Avenue edifice where he and his law partner, John Mark Griffin, housed their personal injury firm Warren & Griffin for 18 years.
However, Warren did mind spending about 15 minutes a day riding up and down the elevators to reach the various floors to which his and Griffin’s firm had expanded since it first settled into the space in 2006.
“Our lease at the Dome Building was up every six years, and every six years, we’d need more space because we’d grown,” Warren says. “We ended up leasing the first, fifth and sixth floors, and I could work all week without seeing everyone.”
That was the state of things at the start of 2024. Warren and Griffin have since relocated their concern to the former home of Brewer Media Group, a single-story structure on Carter Street, near West Main Street.
Warren says the lack of elevators allows him to greet his entire staff as he walks from the front door to his office at the end of a long corridor.
“It’s amazing how everyone shows up for work on time when the boss is walking the floor,” Warren laughs.
Even better than the lack of vertical space are the perks the building offers that have made life easier for the firm’s attorneys, support staff and – most importantly, Warren says – its clients.
In a move toward greater accessibility, Warren & Griffin’s new home is located one turn off the interstate, and all but rests in the shade of the Chattanooga Convention Center. Over a dozen free parking spaces on the same lot are available to clients and support staff, while the attorneys park across the street.
In addition, a wheelchair ramp allows easy access to the front door for clients who need it.
This compares to the challenges clients faced when finding the firm and securing a parking space at Warren & Griffin’s former location.
“We didn’t realize how hard it was to find the Dome Building because we drove there every day for work,” Warren explains. “But if you’re not familiar with downtown Chattanooga, then it’s not necessarily easy to navigate McCallie and Eighth Street.
“Plus, we shared our parking with the other tenants of the building, and there weren’t enough spaces for everyone.”
Despite “loving the Dome Building,” an iconic downtown Chattanooga landmark, Warren says, the firm had outgrown its space and needed to stretch its arms and legs.
When the former Brewer Media Building hit the commercial real estate market, Warren and Griffin ponied up $2.3 million to purchase the 11,000-square-foot space.
“It’s better to own your own building than to lease from someone,” Warren says. “It was always a problem of finding the right building to buy. We weren’t going to move into another leased space.”
Warren and Griffin shelled out another $750,000 for renovations, some of which included opening up certain sections, redesigning others, and creating the massive aqua blue neon-backed sign that overlooks the spacious lobby.
Warren is thrilled with the new space, he says. His only regret: not keeping the on-air signs Brewer Media left behind for their conference rooms.
At least there are a couple of empty offices, which Warren and his partner have earmarked for future growth.
The move to Carter Street is the latest chapter in the decadeslong careers of Warren and Griffin, who began practicing law at Chattanooga’s Sophel & Stophel in the 1980s. They founded the firm that bears their names in 2002.
Warren & Griffin has grown to include 10 attorneys and a support staff of two dozen.
Find the firm in Chattanooga at 1305 Carter St. Warren & Griffin also have a Dalton, Georgia office at 300 W. Emery. Learn more at www.warrenandgriffin.com.