By ALLISSA KLINE
Business First

The state Attorney General's Office this week unveiled its new regional headquarters at the Main Place Tower in downtown Buffalo.

The public was invited Monday to the massive third-floor suite, which houses about 100 staff, including longtime Buffalo lawyer J. David Sampson, who has been appointed Deputy Attorney General for Regional Affairs.

Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, who attended the event, emphasized that "the door is always open" to Western New Yorkers.

"We're here and we're open for business," Cuomo said.

The Western New York Regional Office, which is the largest of the attorney general's regional headquarters, serves Erie, Niagara, Chautauqua, Genesee, Wyoming, Allegany, Cattaraugus and Orleans counties. It had been located for 12 years in the Statler Towers, where a $10 million upgrade by British developer Bashar Issa has stalled.

When the lease ended this year, the AG's Office began looking for a new space. It eventually signed a 10-year lease at the Main Place Tower, John Milgrim, press secretary for Cuomo, said.

"The attorney general was committed to downtown Buffalo," Milgrim said. "It's a good facility and an ideal location."

Sampson, formerly a partner at Underberg & Kessler LLP, will manage the 13 regional attorney general's offices located throughout the state. His appointment is unique because it does not require him to relocate to Albany or New York City, he said.

"It allows me to remain here with my family," Sampson said. "For the attorney general, it gives him a perspective of Western New York."

Sampson, a civil trial lawyer, joined the Western New York regional office in April as director of regional affairs for state counsel.