So far this year, Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC, Pittsburgh's third-largest law firm, has hired 19 lawyers in Pittsburgh, and it's far from finished.
Chief legal officers at corporations across the country said they are bringing more work inside and increasing their staff and budgets to do so, according to a survey conducted by Altman Weil Inc., a Kennett Square, Pa.-based consultant to law firms and legal departments.
As firms cope with the weakened economy, the national trend of lawyers jumping ship could accelerate. Midsize offices here expect to benefit by adding seasoned professionals with established books of business.