Reed Smith LLP, one of Pittsburgh's largest law firms, may soon enter Chicago via a merger with Wildman Harrold, a 215-lawyer firm based in Chicago that's roughly one-fifth its size.
Pittsburgh's five-largest law firms said they expect to hire more lawyers this year, and at least two said the increases will be major.
With salaries for first-year associates going up across the country, some law firms are turning to new means to justify the money, raising the required number of billable hours for its newest employees. The question is whether it will happen in Pittsburgh.