Attorney Profile
Joseph R. Lawrence
Education: University of South Florida (B.S., Finance, 1988); University of Pittsburgh (J.D., 1992)
Admissions: Pennsylvania Bar, 1992; U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit; U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania; U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania.
Practice Areas: Creditors' Rights, Commercial Litigation, Commercial Transactions, Real Estate and Land Use, Banking, Bankruptcy and Collections.
Certifications: American Board of Certification, Creditors' Rights Specialist.
Joseph R. Lawrence is a shareholder in the Pittsburgh office of Strassburger McKenna Gutnick & Gefsky. With clients in the financial services, manufacturing and construction industries, he focuses his practice on creditors’ rights, commercial litigation, real estate, banking, bankruptcy and collections.
Creditors Rights – In the area of creditors’ rights, Mr. Lawrence represents financial institutions in the management and recovery of complex, troubled financial assets. He is Board Certified as a Creditors’ Rights Specialist by the American Board of Certification. Because he understands the general nature of the needs of all the parties involved in insolvency matters, he is adept at finding workable solutions. This has included workouts, bankruptcies, lender liability defense, regulatory matters, loan documentation, mortgage foreclosures, recovery, and real estate transactions. Mr. Lawrence has served as outside counsel representing the United States in workouts, real estate issues and foreclosures involving the Resolution Trust Corporation and Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Department of Justice, the Internal Revenue Service and Department of Agriculture.
Commercial Litigation – Mr. Lawrence’s practice has always included commercial litigation representing both plaintiffs and defendants in State and Federal Courts. In these representations, he relies on his experience in business matters, real estate and lending to provide a unique perspective that yields positive results for his clients.
Collections – Mr. Lawrence also represents clients, including a large national coatings manufacturer, in the areas of collections and bond litigation.
Real Estate and Land Use – In addition to his work as a lawyer, he is a licensed title insurance agent in Pennsylvania. Mr. Lawrence also represents buyers, sellers, lenders and developers in real estate transactions.
Public Speaking – Mr. Lawrence is sought for his professional views on creditors’ rights issues, and has made presentations on bankruptcy, real estate title, mortgage foreclosure and repossession topics before the Pennsylvania Bar Institute and National Business Institute and numerous title insurance companies. He has made more than 20 presentations over the years to representatives of the lending, manufacturing and construction industries.
Community and Public Service – Active in his community, Mr. Lawrence is the past President of North Side Leadership Conference, which provides support and guidance to community development corporations in Pittsburgh’s North Side. He is currently the Chairman of the Northside Community Development Fund. He has been a volunteer for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Western Pennsylvania since 1998.
Mr. Lawrence is a member of the Allegheny County Bar Association’s Bankruptcy and Commercial Law Section, the American Bankruptcy Institute’s Uniform Commercial Code Committee and the Westmoreland Bar Association. He was selected for inclusion on the 2010 "Pennsylvania Super Lawyers" list in the category of Bankruptcy and Creditor/Debtor Rights.
