Steven A. Struhar

Steve Struhar was born and raised in Dover, Ohio. Both of his grandfathers were union steelworkers, and he observed the direct benefits to his family of supportive governmental labor and immigration policies, belief in the American dream, and faith in God.

After graduating from high school in 1975, Steve attended Otterbein College for one year before transferring to Muskingum University and eventually graduating in 1981. During the summer months, and throughout the year, including while in law school, Steve worked in construction, as a truck driver, in a plastic molding factory, and three summers at Greer Steel, where he became a proud member of the United Steelworkers of America. After college, Steve enrolled at The University of Akron School of Law and received his JD degree in 1984. While in Law School, Steve was commissioned as an officer in the United States Naval Reserve and commenced active duty in the Judge Advocate General Corps (JAG Corps) in 1984. During his service, Steve obtained extensive training in military law, the law of armed conflict, and international law. He also gained considerable experience in trial work (courts-martial) and command services. Later, after leaving active duty in 1987, he was extensively involved in appellate work as a member of the Selected Reserve. The lessons Steve learned while serving in the United States Naval Reserve were valuable, lifelong, and have continued with him during his civilian career.

After leaving active duty, Steve entered the private practice of law, primarily as a civil and criminal defense litigator for many years. In 1995, he began his involvement as a workers’ compensation attorney, and immediately developed a close affinity with his working-class clients, so familiar to him from his upbringing and working experience. Steve soon discovered the challenges confronting people injured at work in this state, in navigating the bureaucratic morass, and obtaining the benefits Ohio workers have been entitled to since 1912. The system is poorly understood, and many people don’t realize that in exchange for a no-fault system of compensation for injured workers, enabling them to care for their families throughout their recovery, Ohio employers have been granted immunity from any personal injury claims arising out of their negligence. And yet, despite this equitable trade-off, Ohio injured workers must often suffer the ordeal of zealous employer challenges to their entitlement to benefits. This development has often necessitated the employment of attorneys willing to assist injured workers in their disputes with the state, their employers, and even the insurance industry, which has parasitically infiltrated the system through “managed care.”

Steve is a past member and chair of the Tuscarawas County Public Defender Office. He is also an active member of the Tuscarawas County Democratic Party, and is on the board of the Norma Johnson Center, where he and his wife, Marla, are often found taking long walks with their Golden Retriever, Theo

Steve is associated with Attorney Mark A. Perlaky, who co-counsels with him in social security disability matters, and is assisted by Dawn Edwards, a very competent and experienced workers’ compensation and social security disability paralegal.