Jones Day has bulked up its Pittsburgh office with a pair of partner hires, adding corporate governance and executive compensation partner Amy Pandit from Morgan, Lewis & Bockius along with construction and energy infrastructure litigation partner Tarek Abdalla.

In a statement touting the additions, the firm said Pandit will be part of the firm's banking, finance and securities practice, while Abdalla joins the firm's business and tort litigation practice. While the duo have handled a range of different matters, each of their practices include a focus on the energy sector.

Both also join Jones Day after several years at firms with large presences in Pennsylvania—Pandit spent more than seven years at Morgan Lewis after joining that firm in 2011 from Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney, while Abdalla was at Reed Smith for 19 years.

Among Am Law 200 firms, Jones Day has the fifth largest presence in Pittsburgh by attorney head count, with about 70 lawyers, according to data from ALM Intelligence. Reed Smith is still the city's biggest law firm office, with over 200 lawyers, followed by K&L Gates, Buchanan Ingersoll and Eckert Seamans Cherin & Mellott. Morgan Lewis has about 30 lawyers in Pittsburgh.

Pandit and Abdalla weren't immediately available to discuss their moves on Tuesday, a messy winter weather day in Pennsylvania and other parts of the eastern U.S.

Leon DeJulius Jr., the partner-in-charge of Jones Day's Pittsburgh outpost, cited both partners' commitment to client service in a statement.

“Having her here sends a clear message that Jones Day remains committed to providing clients access to the top legal talent in the region,” DeJulius said of Pandit. Welcoming Abdalla, DeJulius added, “He is a great addition that will expand the services provided by our office in the areas of construction, energy, and international arbitration.”

Pandit's practice has focused on advising public companies on corporate governance issues and developing executive compensation and incentive programs. She also advises on securities law compliance issues, including under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and Dodd-Frank Act, according to Jones Day.

“Amy has a proven record of representing public company clients in their most important capital markets matters and providing the highest level of corporate governance advice,” said a statement by Brett Barragate, head of the banking, finance and securities practice at Jones Day.

Abdalla, meanwhile, has represented contractors, developers, equipment suppliers, engineers and other clients on construction and energy projects across different countries in the Middle East, Europe and within the U.S. and U.K. His experience includes arbitrating disputes in a range of forums, including before the International Chamber of Commerce, the Abu Dhabi Commercial Conciliation and Arbitration Centre, the London Court of International Arbitration, and the American Arbitration Association.

“Our team will benefit greatly from his experience with major capital public sector projects, particularly in the energy area,” said a statement by John Majoras, co-leader of Jones Day's business and tort litigation practice.

The Jones Day additions also follow another notable hire the firm made in Pittsburgh within the past year. In June, the firm brought on Brian Trudgen, the former leader of Buchanan Ingersoll's banking and finance practice.

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