Pine resident named Allegheny County Bar Association president
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Pine resident Erica L. Laughlin will officially become the 114th president of the Allegheny County Bar Association – and the ninth woman to hold the position – on July 1. Her one-year term will end on June 30, 2023.
“I have been an active member of the Pittsburgh legal community throughout my career, so I am keenly aware of how important the Allegheny County Bar Association is to Pittsburgh-area lawyers, judges and the community overall,” Laughlin said. “The ACBA has helped to shape my career and the careers of so many others. To now be in a position to lead the ACBA as its President is an honor and a privilege that I will not take lightly.”
Laughlin is a shareholder at Strassburger McKenna Gutnick & Gefsky, a Downtown Pittsburgh-based law firm. She was elected president-elect of the more than 5,000-member ACBA in 2021 and served in that capacity for the past year.
Laughlin will replace Joseph R. Williams, who completes his term on June 30.
Laughlin said that restoring the community’s faith in the legal system is among her top goals as president.
“One of the ways to do this is through community engagement, outreach and education,” she said. “We plan to form a Community Service Committee that will be dedicated to developing and increasing community service opportunities for our members. Specifically, we will create ways Pittsburgh lawyers can make a genuine, positive impact in the community.”
Laiughlin graduated from Norwin High School and Duquesne University, where she earned bachelor’s degrees in journalism and psychology in 2001. She then attended the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, earning her juris doctorate in 2004. While at Pitt Law, she earned the John P. Gismondi Civil Litigation Certificate and the Institute for Computer Assisted Legal Instruction Award for achieving the highest possible grade in trial advocacy.
After Law School, Laughlin joined Strassburger McKenna Gutnick & Gefsky in 2004, became a director in 2012 and advanced to her current role of shareholder in 2017. Her practice focuses primarily on civil litigation in both state and federal courts. She represents individuals and businesses in employment, personal injury, premises liability, professional malpractice, insurance defense, civil rights defense, construction and municipal matters. Laughlin also is the co-chair of the firm’s Business Development and Marketing Committee.
Laughlin has been involved in numerous facets of the ACBA throughout her legal career, including the ACBA board of governors, council for the Civil Litigation Section, Finance Committee, Gender Equality Committee and Nominating Committee. She also has served on council and as chair of the Women in the Law Division, and she has chaired the ACBA Bench-Bar Conference, among other roles with the association.
She’s also a member of the American Bar Association, the Pennsylvania Bar Association and the Westmoreland County Bar Association.
Outside of the legal profession, Laughlin is a member of the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust Corporate Circles board, the Steel City Impact board and the Pittsburgh Community Broadcasting advisory council. An avid runner, Laughlin has completed over 20 half-marathons, and she’s also passionate about the arts and loves to travel. She most enjoys spending time with her husband, Nick, and their young daughters, Ella and Tessa.