Fish Sandwich Chronicles: Blank Rome's James Barnes Makes a Healthy Choice at the Original Oyster House
James Barnes, who has led two local law offices of large firms, recently finished a pair of deals that closed in a dead heat and said he misses the time-honored custom of “an old-fashioned closing dinner” to celebrate and punctuate a transaction.
One of the deals had been handled almost completely via Zoom and Teams. “The client did fly in from Europe to visit a facility,” Barnes said.
So while formal business dinners are still on hold, Barnes met Evan Rosenberg, publisher of the Pittsburgh Business Times, and me via Zoom for Fish Sandwich Chronicles.
Barnes has been Pittsburgh administrative partner at Blank Rome LLP since 2018, a year after joining the Philadelphia-based law firm’s growing downtown Pittsburgh office. He also co-chairs the Family Office practice, and he previously led Reed Smith LLP’s local office.
Barnes grew up in New Jersey, half an hour from Philadelphia, and the big fish sandwich tradition was acquired once he moved to Pittsburgh.
“They have fish sandwiches but not like here,” he said. “They also don’t put French fries on salads.”
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While Blank Rome’s commitment to technology enabled the firm to easily transition to working remotely and servicing clients, and M&A work has picked up substantially, Barnes said he looks forward to a return to regular in-person meetings once Covid-19 is under control.
“How we look at doing our work will be different,” he said. “It’s much easier to serve existing clients where you have relationships. What I’m finding different is marketing, when you’re pitching for business. We’re getting better at it, but I find you lose something when you’re not face-to-face.”
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