Sandra Mihok, Pittsburgh member-in-charge at Eckert Seamans. Sandra Mihok, Pittsburgh member-in-charge at Eckert Seamans.

Sandra Mihok, the new member-in-charge of Eckert Seamans Cherin & Mellott's Pittsburgh office, said the location will continue to be the Am Law 200 firm's largest, even as the local legal market surrounding it becomes increasingly competitive.

Eckert Seamans announced the leadership change in its Pittsburgh office Oct. 1. Mihok is also chair of the firm's tax, estates and employee benefits practice group, as well as a co-chair of the firm's women's initiative, which will be hosting its first women's summit this month.

Mihok takes over for Scott Cessar, who remains a member of the firm and its board of directors, as well as chair of the construction and alternate dispute resolution practices. Cessar was the Pittsburgh member-in-charge for 16 years.

Firmwide CEO Tim Hudak appointed Mihok to the position, Mihok said. She added that she will continue in her roles leading her practice and the women's initiative, for the time being.

"I'm going to feel it out and see how it goes, if all three are manageable then I'll keep doing them," she said. Mihok noted that she has been leading the office since September, though the firm officially announced her new leadership role this month.

"Pittsburgh is our headquarters, our largest office. I don't see that changing in the near future. We see Pittsburgh as continuing to be an area for steady growth," she said.

Eckert Seamans went through a firmwide leadership change in 2017, when former CEO Tim Ryan left that post, and two co-CEOs, Hudak and Dorothy Davis, took over leadership. But last year the firm switched back to the one-CEO structure, with Davis stepping down.

Mihok acknowledged that there has been some turnover at the top in recent years, "but the stability of the firm in my opinion hasn't changed."

"Pittsburgh is a stable market and our firm has been a stable part of the Pittsburgh legal market," she said.

She noted that under new leadership, the firm has renewed its commitment to diversity efforts, looking to recruit at least one summer associate per year from a pool of diverse candidates, working with the Allegheny County Bar Association. For instance, in 2020, the firm will have five summer associates, one of whom is a diverse candidate, she said.

Still, she noted, recruiting young lawyers in general is not always easy, and it continues to be a challenge as larger out-of-town firms continue to open offices in the city.

"With the growth in the Pittsburgh market in general with some of what's happening with technology and such, Pittsburgh has a great opportunity to expand," Mihok said. "While I think Pittsburgh is attractive and there's a lot going on, it's still not the type of city that's attracting large numbers of new lawyers. It's a challenge when you're competing against firms in larger cities."

While the firm will continue to grow laterally as well, she said it's committed to growing its pipeline of talent.

"We really are committed to hiring at the first-year associate level and above. It just takes a little longer sometimes," she said.

Eckert Seamans also announced Monday that its Wilmington, Delaware, office would have a new member-in-charge, civil litigator Colleen Shields.

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