Kansas University’s School of Law is attracting more than potential attorneys to the city.

An online retailer of textbooks for law students and attorneys said Tuesday it was moving its headquarters to Lawrence from Wichita.

Officials with BarristerBooks.com said they had signed a lease to locate their office and distribution center in a vacant building at 615 Fla.

Richard Andrade, the company’s chief executive officer, said the company chose Lawrence because it wanted to be near KU.

“One of the big reasons we’re in Lawrence is because we wanted to give KU law students another option,” Andrade said.

The location will allow the company to not only sell books over the Internet, he said, but to have a small retail operation to handle walk-in sales.

The business is expected to employ only three people, including two who will move from Wichita. But city leaders are touting the business nonetheless.

“We think this is a good example of how the university can be used in our economic development efforts,” said Lynn Parman, vice president of economic development for the Lawrence Chamber of Commerce. “Plus they have an interesting business. They’re a successful company on the Internet. They might be one to watch.”

Andrade started the business with his sister, Diane Andrade, in 1999 after he graduated from law school at Boston University. Originally from Wichita, he located the business in his hometown. But sales growth of nearly 100 percent per year has forced the Andrades to look for a new location for their office and warehouse, which currently are located in their mother’s basement.

The company stocks about 1,500 titles. It advertises discounts from 10 percent to 15 percent off the standard price of books. The company doesn’t disclose specific sales totals, but Richard Andrade said sales had climbed to more than $1 million per year.

The company is optimistic about its potential. Andrade said about two months ago the company redesigned its Web site and began selling do-it-yourself legal books to the general public.

He said the economic downturn had created a surge in the number of frustrated job seekers returning to college, including law school.

“Applications for the LSAT just went through the roof,” Andrade said. “We’re going to see that wave start to crash in here before long.”

The company expects to begin moving Monday into the 2,800-square-foot building, which formerly housed Wholesale Mart.