Stuart O’Neal, CEO, Burns White LLC
Stuart O’Neal, CEO of law firm Burns White, sat down with Invest: to discuss the firm’s expansion in Pittsburgh and beyond, key recruitment and retention strategies, and how it is responding to evolving healthcare compliance and emerging technology needs.
What have been the key changes for Burns White over the past 12 months?
Over the last 12 months, Burns White has continued to expand our geographical footprint with the expansion into Northern New Jersey. This is coming off the heels of our expansion into Tampa and additional offices in Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Attorney growth has been a priority this year as we continue to add exceptional talent to our firm in order to meet the growing needs of our clients. We are really seeing our expansion and growth take shape and take hold and are very excited about this growth. We are trial attorneys at the end of the day and have been doing a lot of trials. That coupled with our work has been a recipe for excitement around the firm.
Burns White recently launched a new data privacy, cybersecurity, and AI group. How does this initiative align with your vision for Burns White?
That specific branch is headed by Lyle Washowhich and Daniel Inadomi at our Pittsburgh office. Lyle has a banking litigation background, which really plays into cybersecurity, AI, and things of that nature very well. They get class actions about data breach and data privacy issues, which melds into AI quite well. We have seen an uptick in those kinds of cases. Responding to that kind of incident is a gargantuan undertaking. To be able to have an AI and cybersecurity background is really key to that practice group and we have seen a tremendous amount of success in that.
Burns White was recently recognized among the 2025 Best Law Firms by Best Lawyers. What does this recognition say about the firm’s strengths?
It is a reflection of all of us growing in the same direction without exception. We have a great team from the bottom up and no one lawyer is more important than another. We really believe in integrating our staff, whether that be our legal assistants or paralegals, as one big team. When you have that culture and mindset it really is contagious. That is instilled in our staff of over 330. We move as one team and that has really taken hold. How does that equate to success? I believe that our work speaks for itself. We go to trial a lot and there are not many firms that can say that. We take cases to trial and get very good results. We pride ourselves on having multiple trial teams that are ready at a moment’s notice to try a case if need be. Whether that be for an existing client or parachuting in on a different case, we are ready to go.
What strategies is Burns White using to attract, integrate, and develop new attorneys, and how does Pittsburgh play into your talent pipeline?
This is a challenge that all law firms are facing. What we have done to try and set ourselves apart is to provide training and to give our younger attorneys an opportunity. There needs to be a younger generation of attorneys coming up. Giving them real responsibility and opportunity is something that we take very seriously here. For example, we had around 20 students from Duquesne Law School, which is located here in Pittsburgh, come to observe the day in the life of a lawyer. Seven of our attorneys met with and spent time with these law students at our office to further integrate them and answer any questions that they had. It is much more than hiring. You really have to be invested on many levels and we do our best to do that. I want to see people flourish. It has been very satisfying for me personally to watch other people do well and that is what I want to continue to see.
How is Burns White responding to shifting client needs, and what opportunities are you seeing?
It is all about being distinct with what our clients are telling us. The only information that you are really going to get about what your clients need is by listening to what they are coming to us for. They come to us with things they see as potential issues on the horizon. We see that in drone law, AI, data privacy, among others. We have clients coming to us about these issues and it is up to us to formulate a team. What are we doing? We are listening to what our clients want us to focus on and keeping our mouths shut. Litigation will always be there and we will always be ready for that. These offshoots with AI, data privacy, drone laws, and so on, are areas where you really need a specific data set and talent. That is what we respond to.
What challenges do you face in balancing competition and maintaining the firm’s culture while also expanding regionally?
The law industry is very competitive. We have many folks that we compete against. Primarily, we do defense work and we have our hands full. It is up to us to always be up to speed. We have management consultants that we have hired to come in here and counsel our lawyers on being more efficient, while also giving them the tools they need to do a better job. We also have law professors from Villanova Law School who still come in, even though our lawyers have graduated. They come in to teach them how to write even better. Having the ability to learn more is key. We are trying to stay sharp and set ourselves apart at all times.
Looking three to five years ahead, what are the key goals and priorities for Burns White, both in terms of firm growth and alignment with larger trends?
Maintaining the culture that we have, keeping our attorneys sharp with continuing education, and continuing to grow this firm are our key priorities. We are looking to hire 20 to 30 more employees by the end of this year. First and foremost is to make sure that we maintain the respect that we have, not only for our colleagues, but also for the judges. We are working as hard as we can to maintain the respect that they have for us as well. They say that the people you work with are not family, but it is here, and that is the way that we view each other. I want to maintain that culture.
