The Legal Intelligencer Reports on Buchanan's Recent Additions; CEO Jack Barbour Explains Reasons for Expansion

Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney was the subject of an October 18, 2010, The Legal Intelligencer article. The article was also published in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on the same day. The article, titled "Buchanan Ingersoll Goes on Mini Hiring Spree," reported on the firm's hiring of 13 associates over the last three months, as well as the addition of three attorneys to the firm's Oil and Gas/Marcellus Shale Practice.

As explained in the article, the news was "noteworthy" due to that fact that "the hiring of 13 associates across class levels in the span of three months is not something most large firms have been doing since the economy turned south two years ago." However, the article went on to quote Chief Executive Officer John A. "Jack" Barbour who said "the trend of minimizing associate hiring by keeping class sizes small and strictly limiting lateral movement still applies at his firm as well. The firm is having a strong year when it comes to hours and went looking for associates in very specific practice areas to fill a perceived need."

"We went into the market looking for them," Barbour said. "Each one was a fairly targeted hire because of the workload."

The article noted that "The bulk of the hires came to the Pittsburgh office, two were in Philadelphia, one in Harrisburg and another in Alexandria, Va. Two of the Pittsburgh associates were part of a recent three-person group to join the firm in an effort to further grow its Marcellus Shale practice. That group included shareholder Carl F. Staiger from Dinsmore & Shohl and associate Shawn Gallagher."

"We really made sure that we felt that not only would we have work today but we'd have it for the foreseeable future," Barbour said.

As noted, Barbour went on to explain how there was almost a sense of urgency to hire these associates to help handle the work. He said, however, that the firm is not looking to return to hiring large groups of associates on a regular basis.

"We're not going back to large summer associate classes or starting classes right out of law school," Barbour said. "We'll hire to fulfill our needs, and, fortunately, our firm is very busy."