Saxton & Stump to Open Downtown Pittsburgh Office Next Month
September 4, 2025 | Pittsburgh Business Times
The newest entrant to Pittsburgh’s legal scene confirmed that its downtown office will be at the Union Trust Building and is expected to open next month.
Saxton & Stump on Thursday said it took 12,000 square feet at the building, located at 501 Grant Street, to serve as home base for its team of 12 professionals. It expects to double its headcount in Pittsburgh within the next 18 months. Terms of the lease including duration were not disclosed.
James Saxton, the Bethel Park native who is the firm’s CEO and a co-founder, said the Union Trust office was more than a location decision.
“It’s a statement of stability and partnership,” he said in a prepared statement. “This building reflects the character and vision of our firm and the caliber of talent we’re attracting – rooted in tradition, driven by innovation, and built for the future.”
The iconic Flemish-Gothic building, originally commissioned by Henry Clay Frick in 1915, was acquired by an affiliate of Boston-based developer The Davis Companies in 2014 and subsequently completed a $100 million restoration of the Union Trust Building.
Saxton & Stump said it was represented by JLL through its search and worked with Reid Mauro, executive vice president, throughout the process. Rick Avon, from Avon Design Group, served as architect. A date for the anticipated October opening was not available: The firm said it will occur “once final interior improvements are complete.”
Saxton & Strump has been operating from temporary offices at One PPG Place since April while planning for a permanent location. Its first hire here was in 2023. Of the 12 professionals, nine came aboard during the first half of 2025, including four lawyers from Burns White in April and two from Pietragallo Gordon Alfano Bosick & Raspanti LLP in June. The Pittsburgh office serves clients in construction, construction litigation, commercial litigation, intellectual property, trucking and commercial transportation and senior care. Three-fourths of its present Pittsburgh employees are attorneys.
“This is just the beginning of our story in Pittsburgh,” Saxton said. “We’re here to grow, to serve and to become part of the fabric of this region’s business and legal community.
Founded 10 years ago in Lancaster, Saxton & Stump is a full-service firm that now operates 10 offices across Pennsylvania, South Carolina and New Jersey. It employs nearly 300 professionals, more than half are lawyers.
Saxton & Stump launched in April 2015 when seven shareholders split from Stevens & Lee, led by Saxton and Christopher Stump. Saxton earned his J.D. at Duquesne University’s School of Law. Their namesake firm initially was a boutique and the original team included associates and nonlegal professionals who worked with Saxton and Stump in the malpractice defense and malpractice risk management area.
Stevens & Lee opened its Pittsburgh law office in July when it hired Kevin Acklin as a shareholder. Acklin had most recently served as president of business operations for the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Lancaster law firm to move into city
Will move into Union Trust Building by Oct.
September 5, 2025 | PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE
A new law firm is moving into one of Downtown Pittsburgh’s oldest buildings — a bright spot on the office market’s sputtering road to recovery after vacancy spiked during the pandemic.
The Lancaster-based firm Saxton & Stump will move into a new office in the Union Trust Building by October after a monthslong search for permanent space Downtown, the company said in a statement Thursday.
The firm began operating out of One PPG Place temporarily in April as they finalized plans for the 12,000-square-foot new office. It expects to make the move once interior renovations in the space are complete.
“This is just the beginning of our story in Pittsburgh,” said Saxton & Stump CEO James Saxton in a statement.
“We’re here to grow, to serve and to become part of the fabric of this region’s business and legal community.”
Downtown lost tenants in quick succession as companies embraced remote work during the pandemic and has since struggled to rebound, with the vacancy rate still hovering around 20% — elevated from 2019.
But the corridor’s office market has seen some recent encouragement: demand for modern, upgraded office space is on the rise as companies attempt to lure employees back to work in person with more amenities.
Built in 1915, the Union Trust Building at 501 Grant St. underwent a $100-million renovation after new owners acquired the property in 2014, including redesigned re-tail space, a new lobby and parking garage and major infrastructure upgrades.
Saxton & Stump’s new office space in the building is designed for growth — the firm said it expects to double its headcount in Pittsburgh over the next 18 months.
“This building reflects the character and vision of our firm and the caliber of talent we’re attracting — rooted in tradition, driven by innovation, and built for the future,” Mr. Saxton said.
The company’s move follows Los Angeles-based Raines Feldman Littrell law firm’s decision to lease space in the Golden Triangle last year.
And in January, the K&L Gates law firm announced plans to stay in the Downtown’s K&L Gates Center, its home since 2008, though it cut about 50,000 square feet from its footprint in the building.
With the addition of the Pittsburgh office, Saxton & Stump now operates 10 offices across three states. The firm celebrated its 10th anniversary this year.