Edgar Snyder
{{Short description|American lawyer (born 1941)}}
{{about|the Pittsburgh-area lawyer|the German footballer|Edgar Schneider}}
{{Infobox person
|name = Edgar Snyder
|image =
|caption =
|birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1941|09|06}}
|birth_place = Connellsville, Pennsylvania, U.S.
|death_date =
|death_place =
|known_for =
|alma_mater = Pennsylvania State University
University of Pittsburgh School of Law
|occupation = Lawyer
|website = {{url|edgarsnyder.com}}
}}
Edgar Snyder (born September 6, 1941) is a Pittsburgh-area personal injury lawyer. One of the first attorneys in the area to advertise extensively on television, he became recognizable from his marketing campaign, which began in the mid 1980s.{{cite news|url=http://www.post-gazette.com/business/businessnews/2009/04/05/Edgar-Snyder-prepares-to-retire-after-leading-his-namesake-law-firm-for-decades/stories/200904050181|title=Edgar Snyder prepares to retire after leading his namesake law firm for decades|last=Gannon|first=Joyce|date=April 5, 2009|newspaper=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette|accessdate=October 1, 2012}} In 2009, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette called him "Pittsburgh's best-known personal injury attorney".
Early life and education
Snyder was born in Connellsville, Pennsylvania to Jewish Polish and Russian immigrants. He graduated from Taylor Allderdice High School in 1959.{{cite news |last1=Sewald |first1=Jeff |title=Edgar Snyder, Attorney: A life's recounting in the subject's own words |url=https://pittsburghquarterly.com/pq-people-opinion/pq-profiles/item/382-edgar-snyder.html |accessdate=September 9, 2018 |magazine=Pittsburgh Quarterly |date=Fall 2012}}{{cite web |title=Meet Attorney Edgar Snyder: Attorney Snyder's Story |url=https://www.edgarsnyder.com/our-firm/attorneys/attorney-edgar-snyder.html |website=Edgar Snyder & Associates |accessdate=September 11, 2018}}{{cite book|title=The Allderdice|date=1959|publisher=Taylor Allderdice High School|location=June Class: Edgar Snyder|page=67}} He attended Penn State University, where he was the captain of the school's debate team, and is a 1966 graduate of the University of Pittsburgh School of Law.{{cite news|title=Front Man: Attorney Snyder's star shines outside the courtroom|last=Action|first=Robin|date=May 28, 2006|newspaper=Pittsburgh Tribune Review}}
Career
After graduation from law school, Snyder served as a public defender in Pittsburgh for Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. He then opened his first law office in nearby Duquesne, where he initially worked in criminal defense and represented high-profile clients in highly publicized cases. In the 1980s, he expanded his practice to include personal injury cases, driving a van around Western Pennsylvania to meet with clients.{{cite news|title=You know The Point. You know the phone number. But do you really know Edgar Snyder?|last=Mickens|first=Julie|date=January 9, 2002|newspaper=Pittsburgh City Paper}}
Snyder's wife, Sandy, worked as his firm's former marketing director and helped expand his firm's reach through advertising.{{cite news | title =Prominent lawyer's divorce no easy case | newspaper =Pittsburgh Tribune-Review | date =July 19, 2014 | url =http://www.triblive.com/opinion/whispers/6432137-74/edgar-rick-santorum | accessdate = July 27, 2014}} Snyder credits her with being the driving force behind his image. The advertisements helped propel Snyder's profile to the "near-saturation point," with an estimated 98% name recognition.Mickens, Julie. [https://archive.today/20060111002748/http://www.pittsburghcitypaper.ws/prev/archives/covarch/cov02/cv10202.html "Edgar Snyder represents so much that he can no longer represent you in court"]. Pittsburgh City Paper. 2002. According to Snyder, Sandy's "mantra" has been "we're going to make you a brand." One of the signatures in his television commercials is pointing his finger at the camera and saying, "There's never a fee unless we get money for you." This slogan emphasized the firm's use of contingency fees, where the firm only collects fees in the event of a legal victory.
Snyder was selected for inclusion in the list of Pennsylvania's "Super Lawyers" from 2004 through 2010.{{cite web|url=http://www.superlawyers.com/pennsylvania/lawyer/Edgar-M-Snyder/31e068ab-ffea-4c86-b1d7-1d13275728b2.html|title=Attorney Profile: Edgar M. Snyder|work=Super Lawyers|publisher=Thomson Reuters|accessdate=October 1, 2012}}
By 2006 Snyder had stopped personally taking on cases, letting his partners argue the courtroom cases instead. Although he continued to oversee and direct the operations of his practice outside of the courtroom, it was reported in 2009 that he was beginning the process of retirement, but that he would continue to run the company for a few years.
Outside of his practice, Snyder hosted a weekly live call-in show The Law and You on regional cable news television channel PCNC. He reported spending "30 to 40 percent" of his time volunteering and traveling for various organizations, especially those focused on the Jewish communities in Pittsburgh, Israel, and the former Soviet Union.
In 2014, he transitioned from partner of Edgar Snyder & Associates to founder, of counsel, and retired shareholder.
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [http://www.edgarsnyder.com/ Edgar Snyder & Associates]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Snyder, Edgar}}
Category:People from Connellsville, Pennsylvania
Category:Pennsylvania State University alumni
Category:University of Pittsburgh School of Law alumni