Joseph J. Bernstein, Esq.
July 31, 1929 - November 10, 2007
 By Gary Rotstein, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Joseph J. Bernstein, a big man who loved food but even more so enjoyed practicing law and trying to help others through it, died Saturday of complications from diabetes and coronary artery disease. He was 78.
The retired attorney who spent most of his 35-year career focused on
bankruptcy cases died at the Charles M. Morris Nursing and Rehabilitation
Center in Squirrel Hill.
He was a lifelong Squirrel Hill resident who had lived in the nursing home
the past three months.
Mr. Bernstein came to the law late, graduating from the University of
Pittsburgh School of Law at age 36, after working in his early adulthood
as a businessman.
His impact on the profession locally was noticeable by the number of
family members who joined him in his Downtown practice: first his son
Robert; then his wife Marlene, who attended Duquesne University Law School
two years behind their son; and last his daughter, Hollie.
During the 1990s, the four of them were all a part of Bernstein & Bernstein, which had up to 15 lawyers at a time. Joseph Bernstein would
juggle his roles as father, husband and law firm founder and partner in
the course of the day.
He was an attention-getter, for his exuberant personality and his size of
6-foot-5, 300 pounds, as well as for knowledge of both law and business.
Potentially intimidating, he was a lawyer and a person you'd rather have
on your side.
"Joe could be the toughest opponent you'd ever want to be up against, but
then when you needed his help, he was kind, gracious and could be your
best friend," said Carlota Bohm, a lawyer and bankruptcy trustee.
The Allderdice High School graduate, who obtained a bachelor's degree from
Pitt in 1957, first joined a cousin in owning and operating Jay's Floor
Coverings. The firm sold floor tile and paint at 11 suburban locations.
At the same time, Mr. Bernstein was among a group of co-owners of Calico
Records, the label putting out hits of the Skyliners in the 1950s and
'60s.
He had long aspired to be a lawyer and attended Pitt's law school, turning
his role in the flooring business over to Marlene while obtaining his law
degree in 1965. Mr. Bernstein practiced criminal defense and other
courtroom work initially, and gravitated in the 1970s into the collections
and bankruptcy specialties.
As a bankruptcy trustee, he sorted out the complex financial details of
high-profile cases such as the I.D. Craig Service Co., which left
thousands of elderly health insurance subscribers without coverage when it
went bankrupt. He made news in that one in 1990 for winning the right to
auction the firm's Steelers season ticket renewal rights to bring in
needed funds for creditors.
Mr. Bernstein also spent several years running the former Holiday House
nightclub in Monroeville after it ran into financial difficulties. He would work Downtown as a lawyer by day, then drive east to serve as a
restaurant maitre d', club manager and booker of acts such as the
Temptations.
"He was in his glory," said Robert Bernstein, of Squirrel Hill, who noted
that his father was a showman who might have preferred being on the
Holiday House stage himself.
Mr. Bernstein was a sociable man who made sure that even while the family
members were working together all day, they still gathered with their
offspring -- up to 15 relatives, all told -- for dinner one night every
week at his and Marlene's Beechwood Boulevard home.
He loved providing food to others as well, such as buying dozens of bagels
on weekend mornings to drop off at friends' houses and taking numerous
Benkovitz fish sandwiches to colleagues' offices for weekday lunches.
He retired in 2000, when his health began declining from his diabetes and
heart condition.
In addition to his son, he is survived by his wife; another son, Larry of
North Miami Beach, Fla.; daughter Hollie Machen of Squirrel Hill; and
seven grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to ORT America, c/o Ruth Flamberg, 5715
Beacon St., Apt. 216, Pittsburgh 15217.
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