Thorp Reed & Armstrong and Partner William Wycoff Are Recognized for Third Consecutive Year for General Commercial Litigation Expertise by Chambers USA Publication America's Leading Lawyers

Business Wire, July 26, 2006

PITTSBURGH -- Mr. Wycoff and the Firm Ranked as One of the Leading Law Firms and Attorneys in Pennsylvania for General Commercial Litigation

Thorp Reed & Armstrong, LLP is pleased to announce that the firm and Partner Bill Wycoff were named in Chambers USA's publication America's Leading Lawyers as a "Leading Law Firm/Lawyer in Pennsylvania for Litigation (General Commercial)". This is third consecutive year that the firm and Mr. Wycoff have been chosen for this distinction.

"We're extremely proud of our team of litigators and Bill Wycoff for once again garnering this distinction for Thorp Reed & Armstrong," said Douglas E. Gilbert, Managing Partner of Thorp Reed & Armstrong. "Chambers particularly recognized our team's talent in our insurance coverage, securities, and bankruptcy practices, as well as the overall excellence of Bill Wycoff as one of Pennsylvania's best trial attorneys."

In their appraisal of the firm, Chambers highlighted that the firm, "has defended numerous NYSE-listed companies in securities and stockholder class action cases. The team has also applied its niche professional liability expertise to good effect, and was recently involved in the defense of various legal firms."

In their appraisal of Mr. Wycoff they noted that he has "garnered respect for his record of success as well as for his dynamic style in the courtroom. He is considered one of the leading antitrust experts in the state. However, his practice is not limited to one field, as proven by his involvement in a growing number of securities and corporate governance matters."

Chambers methodology has been approved by the British Market Research Bureau, which audits the research annually. In-depth interviews with clients and with attorneys are done over the telephone, each one lasting about half an hour. The qualities on which rankings are assessed include technical legal ability, professional conduct, client service, commercial awareness/astuteness, diligence, commitment, and other qualities most valued by the client.

For the current US directory, over 10,000 of these interviews were conducted covering the whole of the USA. They were carried out by a team of 40 full-time researchers over a period of 6 months. The rankings and editorial comment about attorneys are independent and objective. Inclusion is based solely on the research team's findings.

For more information visit http://www.chambersandpartners.com/.> About Thorp Reed & Armstrong

Since 1895, Thorp Reed & Armstrong, LLP has been a premier Pittsburgh-based law firm, which has grown to include additional offices in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Princeton, New Jersey, and Wheeling, West Virginia. Earning the respect, trust and appreciation of clients, peers, and those who live in our communities, Thorp Reed & Armstrong attorneys have gained a reputation as "lawyer's lawyers" -- lawyers who exemplify the profession's best qualities. The firm supports a wide variety of clients' needs within the practice areas of business law, litigation, and corporate finance. For more information on Thorp Reed & Armstrong, call 412-394-7711 or visit www.thorpreed.com.