Robert O Lampl had a thing for underdogs.
A former Marine reservist and longtime lawyer, “Robert O,” as he was known in legal circles (his middle name was the single letter “O”), was a gifted strategist and scholar who made a career of defending the defenseless.
“He was a very bright guy,” said Judge Judith K. Fitzgerald, who served more than 25 years as a bankruptcy judge in several different jurisdictions. “He was always 10 steps ahead of everybody else.”
“If someone was getting bullied, he would step up and get in someone’s face. He was everyone’s protector,” said his son Sy Lampl, a lawyer who worked alongside his father at their Downtown law firm. “He was the most empathetic human being you could meet. He had that ‘retired cop’ look and he used it to his advantage. He was always sticking up for the little man.”
During his 45-year legal career, Mr. Lampl often represented debtors in bankruptcy proceedings, although he also had a general practice that spanned everything from criminal defense to real estate and tax law.
Mr. Lampl, of Squirrel Hill, died Feb. 7 of a suspected heart attack. He was 72.
The son of a Hungarian Jew, Mr. Lampl grew up in Squirrel Hill, although it was the time he spent at an uncle’s farm in the Mon Valley that exposed him to many of the pleasures and hardships of rural life.
“He had a blend of the city and country life,” said his son, of Oakland. “He always had an affinity for working-class people and it was totally unforced. He understood businessmen with dirty fingers because he was no stranger to hard work.”
Mr. Lampl’s family owned an asphalt business, where he worked as a teenager.
After graduating from Taylor Allderdice High School, he attended Carnegie Mellon University, where Mr. Lampl studied industrial engineering.
His university education was interrupted briefly in 1969, when he enlisted in the Marine Reserves, serving inactive duty for seven years.
In 1972, he earned a degree from CMU. Four years later, Mr. Lampl graduated from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law.
After law school, Mr. Lampl joined the firm of his cousin, the late Sanford Lampl, for several years.
His burgeoning legal career coincided with the federal Bankruptcy Reform Act of 1978, which gave Mr. Lampl the chance to help frame local rules and procedures as part of Allegheny County Bar Association committees.
His work in bankruptcy court also gave Mr. Lampl the chance to reconnect with Judge Fitzgerald, his former law school classmate.
“I met him in 1970 and I don’t think he really changed much,” said the judge, now retired. “He's always been very personable, but you always knew when Robert O had a position to take because he made it very clear what it was. He could be very colorful.”
His colleague Kirk B. Burkley differed slightly in his characterization — the Mr. Lampl he knew from the courthouse halls was what you might call a little more plainspoken.
“Robert O was one of the old-school guys. I kind of came on to the scene a little bit later,” said Mr. Burkley, a lawyer for 20 years. “One of my very first interactions with Robert O was him telling me that I was wrong and he was going to teach me something.
“Over the years, we battled many, many, many times,” Mr. Burkley said, chuckling. “I think he called me a war criminal and a viper once. I was a young lawyer, filled with energy, trying to make my way in the world. But I always, always loved him for those battles. I looked at it like, ‘We’re actually a lot alike.’ I respected him immensely.”
When it came to advocating for his clients, Mr. Lampl left everything he had on the courtroom floor.
“Robert O was one of those people who would fight for his clients no matter what,” Mr. Burkley said. “He took on cases that no one else would. He fought for the down and out and downtrodden. There was no fight he was afraid of.”
A case that perfectly illustrated his disregard for unpopular causes came at the height of the COVID-19 crisis in 2020, when Mr. Lampl represented the Brentwood restaurant Crack’d Egg.
The eatery defied state orders meant to mitigate the spread of COVID, such as requiring indoor face coverings for patrons and workers.
Last year, state Commonwealth Court upheld a lower-court ruling shuttering the restaurant for noncompliance. It has since reopened.
“That was just classic Robert O,” Mr. Burkley said of the case. “He didn’t care if a case was popular or not. That’s what we’re taught in law school — that you’re supposed to fight for every client, no matter the circumstances.”
“He advocated for every one of these clients as if they were the only ones in the world,” Judge Fitzgerald said. “Every ounce of legal wisdom he would use for their benefit. That was his view. If he took on a client he would do the best for you.”
A student of history, especially the second World War and The Holocaust, Mr. Lampl adhered to a personal and professional code of conduct throughout his life.
“He truly believed in that American dream,” his son said. “He knew a lot of people who fought in World War II and survived the Holocaust, and I think those stories affected him greatly and motivated his actions. How could he complain when he knew people who survived the Holocaust?”
“Robert O was one of those lawyers that could call you a war criminal in court, but if he shook your hand and make a deal, it was a deal — he wasn't going to back out of it,” Mr. Burkley said. “He had that old code that we’re losing today.”
“He's always been the guy who had no problem getting into a fight, but he never started a fight,” his son said.
Along with his son, Mr. Lampl is survived by his fiancee Jeannine Schemm; his children Michelle A. Apessos, Elsie R. Lampl, and Ross C. Lampl; his stepchildren Chase R. Schemm and Haley Schemm Hores; five grandchildren; and siblings Patti Holupka, Tommy Lampl, Joni Lampl Roche and Edward Lampl.
His funeral was Saturday.
In lieu of flowers, please donate to the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh: https://jewishpgh.org/ or 200 Technology Drive, Pittsburgh 15219.
Janice Crompton: jcrompton@post-gazette.com.
First Published: February 15, 2022, 1:07 a.m.