E.J. Strassburger

Counsel
D: (412) 281-5423
F: (412) 281-8264
E: estrassburger@smgglaw.com
E.J. Strassburger

E. J. Strassburger was President of Strassburger McKenna Gutnick & Gefsky from 1980-2014. During that period, the firm expanded from 4 to 37 lawyers and extended its geographical reach from Allegheny to Beaver and Westmoreland Counties. Mr. Strassburger currently serves as Counsel to the firm.

For half a century, Mr. Strassburger has been an active litigator, who has concentrated in complex commercial and Orphans’ Court litigation, municipal law, and appellate practice. For the past 40 years, he has balanced his litigation practice with estate planning and administration.

Mr. Strassburger has been the lead attorney in more than 60 cases decided in the Pennsylvania and federal appellate courts, which have included landmark decisions involving real estate, municipal, employment, mineral, and public utility law.

Mr. Strassburger is a pioneer in school choice reform in Western Pennsylvania. He represented the Wilkinsburg School Board in its privatization of Turner Elementary School, which led to the passage of the Pennsylvania Charter School Act.

Mr. Strassburger has also played a pivotal role  in resolving complex municipal disputes. As the solicitor for Findlay Township, he secured an agreement with Allegheny County that enabled the township to collect parking taxes at Pittsburgh International Airport. He also represented Findlay Township in a multi-million dollar settlement  of a tax dispute with a solid waste management contractor. For the municipality of Monroeville, Mr. Strassburger collected millions of dollars in taxes from a Fortune 500 company. On behalf of a real estate appraisal contractor, he negotiated a substantial settlement in a dispute with Allegheny County involving a court-ordered reassessment of 580,000 properties in the County.

To maintain his perspective, Mr. Strassburger is an active mediator and arbitrator in Western Pennsylvania.

Mr. Strassburger and his wife, Mona, a retired psychologist, live in Squirrel Hill. They have two grown children and three grandsons. He is the third generation of lawyers on both the paternal and maternal sides of his family. His son (Jordan) and nephew (David) represent the fourth generation in the firm. His grandfather, the late Eugene B. Strassburger, co-founded the firm over a century ago, and was one of the drafters of the Uniform Commercial Code.

Professional Affiliations

  • Carnegie Mellon University, Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, civil liberties course instructor
  • Academy of Trial Lawyers of Allegheny County, past President and board member
  • Neighborhood Legal Services Association, past President and board member
  • Pennsylvania Legal Service Corporation, former board member

Community Activities

  • American Civil Liberties Union, Greater Pittsburgh Chapter, past President and board member
  • Jewish Residential Foundation, past President
  • Jewish Residential Services, past President and board member
  • Rodef Shalom Congregation, past board member
  • Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh, past board member
  • August Wilson Center Recovery Committee, past board member
  • August Wilson Legacy Fund of the Pittsburgh Foundation, Advisory Committee member
  • Jewish Association on Aging, board member