Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney Featured in The Legal Intelligencer Article; Firm CEO Jack Barbour Quoted on 2009 Performance, 2010 Outlook

Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney as well as firm CEO John A. "Jack" Barbour were featured in an April 1, 2010, article published in The Legal Intelligencer.

Among topics discussed in the article was the fact that, despite tough economic times, the firm still saw growth in 2009. "The profits per equity partner (PPP) grew by 4.8 percent from $563,000 to $590,000," stated the article. "Revenue per lawyer (RPL) increased 5.3 percent from $565,000 in 2008 to $595,000."

Barbour explained that after taking over as CEO in July 2009, he did more legal work in the last six months of the year than he had for 15 prior years. "He was called in to represent Arthur Rooney in the buyout of his uncles for the Pittsburgh Steelers," noted the article.

The article went on to note some other large matters the firm handled in 2009, including work on a $2 billion transaction between Alpha Natural Resources Inc. and Foundation Coal Holdings Inc., as well as its involvement in certain aspects of PNC Financial's $5.2 billion acquisition of National City Corp. announced in October. Additionally, "A team of litigators in the Philadelphia office were successful at getting an antitrust class action against client Arkema Inc. decertified in In re Plastics Additives Antitrust Litigation."

As for 2010, Barbour said the firm is doing very well so far. He explained that some of the practice areas are well poised for growth. As noted, "The firm is increasingly doing more work related to the Marcellus Shale," and he added that he "switched the firm's national government affairs practice two years ago from one with a broad-based lobbying focus to one that concentrates on health care issues."

"Barbour said he thinks the firm's strong lending practice is poised for growth as some of its banking clients begin to look at markets where they can safely lend. He said he is also seeing a return of larger-scale litigation matters. … And while he said he doesn't expect a comeback in real estate finance — his own practice — by mid-year, Barbour said he is looking at hiring real estate and corporate finance attorneys to prepare for what he thinks will be growth in those practices in 2011 and 2012."