Harry J. Gruener: Family law expert, Pitt professor - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

At the messy -- and sometimes bitter -- intersection of law and life is where one could find Harry Gruener.

A renowned family law attorney, professor and founder of the Family Law Legal Clinic at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, Mr. Gruener found joy mentoring young lawyers and students and helping those most in need of legal representation.

“Harry had a keen intellect and a creative mind,” said Ken Horoho, his longtime legal partner and friend. “He was always laser-focused, and Harry had the ability to solve any problem that came his way.”

“He got involved with people and causes,” said his wife, Christine. “He truly loved it.”

Mr. Gruener, of Ohio Township, died March 11 of Alzheimer’s disease. He was 77.

He was the son of Dorothy and Harry H. Gruener, a highly decorated World War II veteran who later served as a councilman and manager in West View.

The B-24 pilot flew 27 missions over enemy territory and was shot down twice, including around the time his son was born. His wife hadn’t heard from him in months and had no idea he’d landed the plane in neutral Sweden.

“His father was missing in action when Harry was born,” Christine Gruener said.

Mr. Gruener found his passion for the law while serving on the debate teams at North Hills High School and later at the University of Pittsburgh, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in political science in 1966.

But it was his time as a teen counselor at Camp Brashear near Zelienople that really impacted Mr. Gruener’s life.

“We were teenagers and Harry loved music. He played the guitar and he led the campfire singalongs,” said his wife, then fellow counselor Christine Larson. “He proposed to me at that first summer camp. I told him I couldn’t marry him because I was only 17, but his mind was made up.”

The couple married 54 years ago, when they were both a little older.

“He was my first love, my only love and it was vice versa,” she said. “We had a really good life together.”

Mr. Gruener went on to earn a law degree from Pitt in 1969 and began representing clients in both civil and criminal courts.

“He graduated from Pitt Law at the top of his class,” Mr. Horoho said. “He could have gone anywhere.”

But a major change in Pennsylvania divorce law in 1980 upended his career, Mr. Horoho recalled.

The new code established no-fault divorces, alimony and equitable distribution of property and assets.

“Prior to 1980 the only way people got divorced was for fault,” Mr. Horoho explained. “We finally came out of the dark ages. At that time there were a number of good civil-practice lawyers who dabbled in family law, but they didn’t have much work.

“Harry was one of those civil litigation practitioners who started his own practice. It was the glory days of the practice of family law. You could be a creative lawyer if you were smart and a good trial lawyer, and Harry was at the top of that list. That’s when he became an intellectual giant of the family bar.”

“Family law wasn’t a popular thing at the time he was in law school, but he just picked it up and he was good at it,” his wife said.

Mr. Gruener was regarded as one of the best legal minds in the state by his peers, who awarded him the Eric Turner Memorial Award from the Pennsylvania Bar Association. The honor recognizes exceptional family law practitioners and mentors.

He served as chairman of the Pennsylvania Bar Association Family Section and the Allegheny County Bar Association, and colleagues elected Mr. Gruener one the “Best Lawyers in America” -- a peer-reviewed, annual recognition -- for 20 consecutive years.

“He was one of the most respected members of the bar and the judges shared that respect for him,” Mr. Horoho said. “When Harry walked into a courtroom, judges immediately thought, ‘This must be an important case if Harry Gruener is here.’ He was always well-prepared with substantive arguments and he brought a sense of levity to his arguments.”

Mr. Gruener was a founding partner at Goldberg, Gruener, Gentile, Horoho & Avalli, now called Gentile, Horoho & Avalli.

In the 1980s, Mr. Gruener found his other calling in the halls of academia as an associate professor and associate director of the family law curriculum at the Pitt law school.

“He always, always, always loved to teach,” his wife said. “That was really his niche -- he just loved it. Law students are just so eager to get clinical experience because most of their classes are theory and you don’t get much chance to practice.”

Mr. Gruener established and oversaw the school’s Family Law Clinic, which helps low-income clients with divorce and child-custody issues.

“One of his passions, as he grew older, was to pass along his knowledge to other lawyers and students,” Mr. Horoho said. “Students who came out with his courses under their belt were ready for prime time.”

Mr. Gruener won Pitt Law's Excellence in Teaching Award in 2005 and 2012, and he received the Chancellor's Distinguished Public Service Award in 2013.

“He was so admired [that] he won the distinguished professor award not once, but twice,” Mr. Horoho said. “He was just adored by his students.”

A talented photographer and devoted softball coach for his daughters, Mr. Gruener also loved cars, especially his 1961 red convertible Chevrolet Corvette.

“He was just so enthusiastic about everything he did, he went full bore with everything,” his wife said. “He plunged in that way with golf, too. If he had a bad day on the course, he would come home and practice until he got blisters.”

And he was the best of friends, Mr. Horoho said.

“We really spent a lot of time together with our families. Our professional relationship was only surpassed by our friendship,” he said. “There will always be another challenging case to come along, but there will never be another Harry Gruener. He was that type of lawyer and friend. He’s sorely missed.”

Along with his wife, Mr. Gruener is survived by daughters Gretchen Busquets, of Lexington, Ky., and Rachel Kress, of Hampton, and four grandchildren.

Visitation is from 2-4 p.m. and 6-8 p.m. Friday at Devlin Funeral Home, 806 Perry Highway in Ross, followed by a service at 11 a.m. Saturday at St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church, 920 Perry Highway.

Memorial contributions can be made to Animal Friends, 562 Camp Horne Road, Pittsburgh 15237.

Janice Crompton: [email protected].

First Published March 19, 2022, 9:00pm

source: https://www.post-gazette.com/news/obituaries/2022/03/20/harry-j-gruener-family-law-expert-pitt-professor/stories/202203200151

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