Burleson Cooke has completed a move into new offices in Pennzoil Place, significantly adding to its square footage in order to accommodate recent growth fueled in large part by the energy law firm’s work in the nation’s shale plays.

The Houston-based firm now occupies 20,407 square feet on the 11th floor of the building’s North Tower at 700 Milam. That represents a significant increase over the 12,312 square feet it previously occupied in the South Tower.

Managing partner Rick Burleson explained that the need for more space was primarily driven by the firm’s strategic focus on representing companies that have an interest in gas- and oil-producing shale formations in and outside of Texas.

“Although we’re also seeing an increase in our other energy work, that has certainly been a big factor,” he says of the surge in shale-related activity. “We’ve become a kind of ‘go-to’ firm for clients in these plays – on everything from title to transactions to litigation – and as the level of business has increased, we’ve been bringing on more lawyers to handle it.”

Burleson Cooke’s growth has not been limited just to Houston, however.

In late 2009, the firm opened an office in Pittsburgh to serve companies in the Marcellus Shale region. It has since grown to more than 20 attorneys, and Burleson Cooke has recently leased an additional 4,800 square feet of space at its Pittsburgh location.

Additionally, last month brought the announcement of a San Antonio office that will focus on clients in the Eagle Ford Shale play in South Texas.