Schnader, once one of Pittsburgh’s biggest law offices, is closing

PITTSBURGH — Schnader Harrison Segal & Lewis entered Pittsburgh in 1995, among a rush of large Philadelphia law firms expanding across the state. It had ambitious plans to grow the office to 50 lawyers.

And it got off to a strong start, far better than many of its Philly colleagues managed to establish in Pittsburgh.

By the early 2000s, Schnader employed more than 30 attorneys here and ranked among the region’s 20 largest law offices. And some very big names in the local legal community came aboard. Ken Gormley, now Duquesne University’s president, served as counsel. Jeff Letwin, well-known in the transportation sector for his roles with the Port Authority of Allegheny County (now Pittsburgh Regional Transit) and the Allegheny County Airport Authority, served as Schnader’s Pittsburgh office managing partner for about a decade.