Leech Tishman is pleased to announce that 13 of its lawyers were chosen by their peers for inclusion in the 2025 edition of The Best Lawyers in America. Congratulations to the firm’s recognized lawyers, Pete A. Fuscaldo, Heather S. Heidelbaugh, Steven D. Irwin, Michael P. Kruszewski, David W. Lampl, Bruce J. McNeil, Vincent S. Oleszkiewicz, John M. Steiner, Alan G. Towner, David V. Weicht, and Wesley Yang, all partners at the firm. Francesca M. Schiavone, also a Partner of the firm, was recognized in Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch.
Best Lawyers: Partners
Pete A. Fuscaldo has been recognized for a 15th year in the Tax Law category and a 13th year in the Corporate Law category. Fuscaldo serves as Managing Partner of Leech Tishman, Chair of the Leech Tishman Management Committee, and is a member of the Tax Group and the Corporate Practice Group, where he co-leads the General Counsel Group. Fuscaldo is based in the Pittsburgh office and represents diverse, established, and emerging privately-held companies, often serving as general business counsel in both day-to-day legal matters and strategic transactions.
Heather S. Heidelbaugh has been recognized for a sixth year in the Government Relations Practice category and for a second year in the Commercial Litigation category. Heidelbaugh is a member of the Litigation Practice Group, where she co-leads the Defamation: Libel, Slander, and Commercial Disparagement Group, the Product Liability Defense Group, and the Election Law Group. Heather also co-leads the Government Relations Group and is a member of the Entertainment & Sports Industry Group.
Steven D. Irwin has been recognized for the second year in both the Employment Law – Management and the Government Relations Practice categories. Irwin is a member of the Corporate Practice Group, where he co-leads the Government Relations and Securities Groups. He is also a member of the Labor & Employment Practice Group. Irwin is based in the Pittsburgh office, where he handles business matters, routinely interacts with government bodies, and counsels high-level management defending against or asserting allegations of fraudulent conduct.
Michael P. Kruszewski has been recognized for a seventh year in the Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law category and for an eighth year in the Litigation – Bankruptcy category. Kruszewski is a member of the Business Restructuring & Insolvency Practice Group and is based out of the Erie office, where he regularly represents corporate debtors, secured creditors, unsecured creditor committees, and individuals in business reorganization proceedings.
David W. Lampl has been recognized for a 14th year in the Bankruptcy and Creditor – Debtor Rights Law / Insolvency and Reorganization Law and Litigation – Bankruptcy categories. Lampl was also awarded “Pittsburgh Lawyer of the Year” by The Best Lawyers in America in Litigation – Bankruptcy in 2019. He is a member of the Business Restructuring & Insolvency Practice Group. Lampl is based in the Pittsburgh office, where he is highly regarded for the major role he has played in numerous local and national high profile cases involving Chapter 11 bankruptcies and out-of-court restructurings. Over the course of his career, Lampl has served as Lead Counsel on behalf of banks, creditors’ committees, and debtor companies in a wide variety of complex bankruptcy and creditors’ rights matters.
Bruce J. McNeil has been recognized for a 20th year in the Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law category and for a 15th year in the Litigation – ERISA category. McNeil is a member of the Labor & Employment Practice Group and leads the ERISA, Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation Group. He is based in the Washington, D.C. office, where he focuses his practice on assisting clients in a variety of employee benefits matters including tax-qualified plans and executive and nonqualified deferred compensation plans, as well as the tax aspects of equity, phantom equity, and employee benefits litigation.
Vincent S. Oleszkiewicz has been recognized for a fifth year in the Environmental Law and Litigation – Environmental categories. Oleskiewicz is a member of the Real Estate Practice Group, where he co-leads the Environmental Group. He is based in the Chicago office and regularly advises clients regarding environmental law, including all aspects of domestic and international environmental regulation, permitting and compliance, environmental issues in real estate transactions, dispute resolution, and corporate transactional matters.
John M. Steiner has been recognized for an eighth year in the Bankruptcy and Creditor – Debtor Rights Law / Insolvency and Reorganization Law category and for a seventh year in the Litigation – Bankruptcy category. Steiner serves as Leech Tishman’s Chief Operating Officer, where he oversees the administrative departments including Finance, IT, and HR. He is based in the Pittsburgh office. Steiner is a member of the Business Restructuring & Insolvency Practice Group, where he served as Co-Chair for many years. He co-leads the Bankruptcy Chapter 11 Debtor Group and is leader of the Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors in Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Proceedings Group. Steiner is also a member of the firm’s Management Committee.
Alan G. Towner has been recognized for a 15th year in the Copyright Law, Litigation – Intellectual Property, Litigation – Patent, Patent Law, and Trademark Law categories. Towner was also awarded “Pittsburgh Lawyer of the Year” by The Best Lawyers in America in Patent Law (2024), Copyright Law (2022), and Litigation – Patent (2019). Towner serves as Co-Chair of the Intellectual Property Practice Group and is based in the Pittsburgh office, where he focuses his practice on all aspects of intellectual property law including patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets.
David V. Weicht has been recognized for a fifth year in the Commercial Litigation and Litigation – Insurance categories. Weicht serves as Co-Chair of the Litigation Practice Group, where he co-leads the Appellate Group, Commercial Litigation Group, Insurance Coverage Group, and the Shareholder/Equity Disputes Group. Weicht is based in the Pittsburgh office, where he handles a wide variety of complex commercial litigation matters as an experienced litigator across a wide range of industries for over 30 years. Weicht is also a member of the Leech Tishman Management Committee and serves as General Counsel for the firm.
Wesley Yang has been recognized for a 13th year in the Tax Law category. Yang is Chair of the Trusts & Estates Practice Group, where he co-leads the Basic & Complex Estate Planning Group. He is also a member of the Corporate Practice Group, where he leads the Asset Protection and Tax Groups, as well as co-leads the Business Succession Group. Yang is based in the Pittsburgh office and is well-respected for his experience in complex corporate and tax law matters.
Ones to Watch: Partners
Francesca M. Schiavone has been recognized for a fourth year in the Corporate Law and Real Estate Law categories. Schiavone is a member of the Corporate Practice Group, where she leads the Women/Minority-Owned Businesses Group and Start-Up Services Group, and also co-leads the firm’s Commercial Contracts Group. She is also a member of the Mergers & Acquisitions, Capital Markets, and General Counsel Groups, in addition to being a member of the firm’s Life Sciences Industry Group. Schiavone is based in the Pittsburgh office, where she regularly provides legal advisory services to businesses in all stages of their lifecycles.