About Erica L.
Erica L. Laughlin builds her practice on two interests she carried through college and law school: clear communication and careful analysis. She earned a B.A. in Journalism and Psychology from Duquesne University in 2001, then completed her J.D. at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law in 2004, where she also obtained a Civil Litigation Certificate named for John P. Gismondi. Those academic choices shaped how she approaches cases and clients.
Her early career is marked by steady engagement in professional groups. She has been a member of the American Bar Association and the Pennsylvania Bar Association since 2004. Later affiliations include the Allegheny County Bar Association beginning in 2011 and the Westmoreland County Bar Association and Westmoreland Chamber of Commerce beginning in 2013. She joined the Pittsburgh chapter of Women in eDiscovery in 2015 and remains active there. Earlier in the decade she participated in the American Inns of Court in both the Amy Reynolds Hay and Ned J. Nakles chapters and was affiliated with the American Association for Justice through 2015.
Those memberships reflect more than credential collecting. They show an attorney who has maintained contact with peers and stayed current on procedural and technological shifts in litigation. Her involvement in e-discovery circles suggests attention to the digital side of modern cases. She has kept a steady presence in county and state bar organizations, attending panels and meetings that shape local practice.
On the courtroom side, Laughlin practices in Pennsylvania and is admitted to appear in the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. She has the Civil Litigation Certificate that denotes formal exposure to trial and pretrial work. Her work involves preparing pleadings, handling discovery, and arguing motions. She also deals with the procedural demands that come with filings at the state and federal levels.
Colleagues describe her work as methodical and grounded in research and preparation. She tends to break complex problems into discrete tasks. She communicates clearly in writing and orally. Those habits trace back to her journalism and psychology studies, where translating information and understanding people are core skills.
She is currently an attorney at Strassburger McKenna Gutnick & Gefsky. Her practice concentrates on civil litigation matters in Pennsylvania and appeals before the Third Circuit.
