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Pittsburgh's "big 4" lawfirms among world's best?


PghUSA

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Many among us miss the time not so long ago when Pittsburgh's corporate and labor boardrooms could rock the world, gone though are the Gulf Oils (once the 8th largest financial entity on Earth merged with ChevronTexaco and moved west after being fatally wounded in a "Wall Street"esque hostile takeover by T. Boone "Gordon Gekko" Pickens in the mid 80s. Gone are the Westinghouse's with their vast consumer electronics, industrial engineering and generating and communications products as well as one the world's largest cabe/tv and radio networks. Gone are the days of US Steel being a "Dow 30" stock with as big an impact on the market as an Intel or Wal-Mart. Etc. Etc. What has popped up in those megamultinationals place however is a bevy of young swift verile companies such as Guru.com, a remade Heinz, a streamlined Alcoa, the hip American Eagle outfitters, FedExGround, Dick's Sporting Goods and GNC as well ast the world's 3rd ever ISP in Telerama (take that AOL and Microsoft Network). What alot of people forget though is that the once "City of Steel" has a growing national reputation for being a major law and consulting hub.

Pittsburgh has the #19th, #36th, #90th, #177th largest law firms in the country!

Reed Smith is the largest (#19)

Kirkpatrick & Lockhart is #2 (#36 in U.S.)

Buchanan Ingersol is #3 (#90 in the U.S.)

Eckert Seamans Cherin & Mellott is #4 (#177 in the U.S.)

here is the link for the rankings:

http://www.law.com/jsp/nlj/ChartNLJ.jsp?id=1069170401903

and a link from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on the recently expanded Buchanan Ingersoll (vaulting it to #90 in the U.S.!)

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05146/510361.stm

So long top 40 US Steel and Westinghouse, Rockwell International and Gulf Oil, hello a scene from "Boston Legal", "LA Law", and "Ally McBeal" . . . and we though big steel made us "hell with the lid off" now the lawyers are coming! lol

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I have noticed a lot of stories lately about local law firms growing and merging with other big firms. If it might mean more jobs then I say great.

By the way, you mentioned how companies like Gulf Oil are gone now. But what a lot of people don't realize is that Pittsburgh is still in the top ten cities nationwide for Fortune 500 companies. I think we have 9 in the region.

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I was on another site, and I dont know if this is even the place to ask this (seemed relevant enough), but why on earth did two people in a row say that Cincinnati is really white collar and Pittsburgh is really blue collar. (I have only been to Pittsburgh once, just to visit, so I am familiar enough to love it, but not enough to know some symantics)

Not that it matters, it just seemed to me like Pittsburgh had the large financial companies and others and now along with giant law firms ...

Anywho, carry on, just something I was wondering because I have seen it said before over there as well ... mainly why I just read and dont post.

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^^don't forget engineering (with one of only 4 Sony Technology centers, the eastern offices of Seagate Technologies, Intel, and the NA HQ of Marconi and Bayer) Medical with UPMC, the HQ of Mylan and the NA HQ of SKGlaxo is also a leader in whitecollar. Oh and don't forget the world's fifth largest financial institution Mellon Financial, a leading national banking chain in PNC, regional HQ for Citizens Bank and National City as well as global HQ for Federated Investors and Highmark Insurance, and those are just the big boys. ;)

Gerbil I think it is 8 but your right there are still lots of Fortune 500 companies in the 'burgh, Allegheny Energy and American Eagle Outfitters are very near to getting on the 500 list also, and Giant Eagle would be in the #200s if not for the fact that they are a "non-stock" company (the list requires full transparency that is provided by financial markets, private companies no matter how large are not required to make those #s public).

Compare Pittsburgh's 500 count to "hipper" cities like LA and Miami (0 and 1 or 2 respectively) Pittsburgh looks heads and shoulders above the pack.

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Yes, I wish more people realized that about Pittsburgh. Show that list of companies to an out-of towner and tell them they are all in the Pittsburgh region. Chances are you will be accused of lying, or be met with genuine surprise.

Many people think Pgh is still very industrial. And while manufacturing is still very big here, we're much more white collar than even most locals realize.

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Not only are the "in the Pittsburgh region" with operations or a center, but many are regionally or have "North American" HQ here, besides the homegrown ones with "global HQ" here!

;)

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