Former Pittsburgh Penguins Executive and Civic Leader Kevin Acklin Joins Stevens & Lee, Firm Launches Pittsburgh Office
PHILADELPHIA and PITTSBURGH, PA, July 14, 2025 – Stevens & Lee has entered the Pittsburgh market, establishing its 17th office, and welcoming Kevin Acklin as a Shareholder.
“Kevin is part of the fabric of Pittsburgh. His high-profile work in the business community and his distinguished public service has given him a truly unique perspective on how to assist clients in achieving their goals, “said William P. Thornton, Jr., Stevens & Lee President and CEO.
“We welcome Kevin’s leadership and know his relationships will be of great value as we grow our Pittsburgh presence and bring our full range of professional services to clients in this important, vibrant market,” said Mr. Thornton.
A Pittsburgh native, Mr. Acklin built his career by providing legal, business and civic leadership to the Greater Pittsburgh region. He most recently served as President of Business Operations for the Pittsburgh Penguins and played a leading role in the sale of the Penguins to Fenway Sports Group.
Prior to running the Penguins, Mr. Acklin was Chief of Staff to Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto from 2014 to 2018 and served simultaneously as Chief Development Officer and Chairman of the Urban Redevelopment Authority. He began his career in private practice as a corporate and transactional lawyer with law firms in Pittsburgh and Boston and also served as Chief Legal Officer of Peoples Natural Gas Company.
“Expanding our geographic reach to serve clients in all of Pennsylvania’s key markets has always been a part of our growth plan, and we have been looking at opportunities in Pittsburgh for many years,” said Mr. Thornton. “Now that we’ve launched operations here, we intend to grow and provide a full range of legal services locally to Pittsburgh-based clients and to our clients headquartered elsewhere with operations in this region.”
A 200-plus lawyer full-service firm, Stevens & Lee operates a platform of eight professional services firms known collectively as The Stevens & Lee Companies. Two of these companies – FSL Public Finance and GSL Public Strategies Group – established operations in Pittsburgh at 1 PPG Place earlier this year when locals Charlie Goodwin joined FSL as a Managing Director from BNY Mellon Capital Markets and AJ Johnston joined GSL as Vice President after serving as Senior Manager for Government Affairs at Arconic Corporation.
Stevens & Lee is constructing a new, larger office in 1 PPG Place with completion expected in early 2026.
The firm’s expansion into Western Pennsylvania follows its June 1 merger with Duffy & Sweeney and launch of its New England practice with an office in Providence, RI.
