DAVID R. STRUWE

ASSOCIATE | PHILADELPHIA

David R. Struwe joins Sirlin Lesser & Benson, P.C. after gaining extensive litigation experience both as a military prosecutor and later as a commercial litigator. Mr. Struwe began his legal career as an officer in the United States Army Judge Advocate General’s (JAG) Corps. While serving as a captain, Mr. Struwe deployed to Afghanistan where he advised commanders on Rule of Law and Escalation of Force measures. While in Afghanistan, Mr. Struwe also prosecuted his first court-martial, successfully obtaining a conviction from a panel (jury) of Army officers. After his deployment, the Army assigned Mr. Struwe progressively more challenging cases to prosecute, including violent crime and fraud cases. During this time, Mr. Struwe also served as a Special Assistant United States Attorney (SAUSA), where he helped prosecute hundreds of crimes committed by civilians on the military installation.

 

After achieving success in the courtroom, the Army chose Mr. Struwe to serve as one of its first Army Special Victim Prosecutors (SVPs). In this new role, Mr. Struwe was responsible for prosecuting rape, sexual assault, and domestic violence cases in his assigned geographic region. After this challenging assignment, Mr. Struwe left the military and joined a national law firm based in Philadelphia. While at this law firm, Mr. Struwe was a member of the firm’s acclaimed aviation practice group, which defended complex wrongful death suits that arose from tragic aviation accidents. Mr. Struwe also focused his practice on commercial real estate litigation, frequently representing commercial real estate owners in lease disputes.

 

Mr. Struwe then briefly worked at a boutique law firm, where he represented business clients in a variety of environmental disputes. These representations included litigation under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) and related state environmental statutes. While at this firm, Mr. Struwe also defended businesses in toxic tort cases.

 

While at Penn State and Temple University – Beasley School of Law, Mr. Struwe achieved notable academic success. He was selected for the prestigious Phi Beta Kappa honor society and graduated from Penn State with highest honors. In law school, Mr. Struwe earned numerous recognitions for his classroom performance and was selected for the Temple Honors Clerkship Program, through which he worked for the Honorable Marjorie Rendell of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.

 

Education:

  • Temple University – Beasley School of Law (2011); graduated Cum Laude; Honors: (1) Technical Advisory Service for Attorneys Prize for Outstanding Performance in Field of Evidence; (2) The Nat N. Wolfsohn Memorial Award in Real Property; (3) Integrated Trial Advocacy Award; (4) Barrister Award (Presented to the Best Oral Advocate in Trial Advocacy): Fall 2009 and Spring 2010; and, (5) Best Examination Citations: Property, Criminal Procedure, International Law, Evidence, and Corporations.

 

  • Pennsylvania State University (2008); graduated with Highest Honors – Phi Beta Kappa; Awards: (1) Merit Scholarship Awardee; (2) Ranked 41st out of 4100 ROTC Commissioning 2nd Lieutenants on National Order Merit List (Top 1%); (3) George C. Marshall ROTC Award – presented to top senior US Army ROTC member at each institution.

 

Awards:

 

  • Recognized as a “Lawyer on the Fast Track” at The Legal Intelligencer’s 2020 Pennsylvania Legal Awards’ ceremony.

 

Community Involvement:

 

  • Big Brothers Big Sisters Independence Region

 

  • Volunteer Big Brother, October 2020 – Present

 

  • University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School / United States Army War College

 

  • Facilitator – International Strategic Crisis Negotiation Exercise (ISCNE), 2020 – 2022

 

  • Member, Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW)

 

Admissions:

 

  • Pennsylvania
  • New Jersey
  • New York

 

Contact:

 

  • DStruwe@sirlinlaw.com