Shrager Defense Attorneys

Attorney David J. Shrager

David J. Shrager, Esq. is a highly reputable and experienced Pittsburgh Criminal Lawyer. He is a native of Pittsburgh, PA and attended Mt. Lebanon High School where he was a National Merit Scholar Semi Finalist. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree, Magna Cum Laude, from the University of Pittsburgh. David then received his law degree (Juris Doctor) from the University of Miami School of Law in 1998 on a prestigious Deans Honor Academic Scholarship. While at the University of Miami Law School he was an Assistant Editor of the Inter-American Law Review.
David J. Shrager

After receiving his law degree with honors, Mr. Shrager was an attorney for the Litigation Department at Reed Smith before joining his family’s law firm. Attorney Shrager is a member of the Allegheny County Bar Association, Pennsylvania Bar Association, National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, and the Pennsylvania Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. He has also been recognized by numerous independent rating agencies such as Super Lawyers® as a top-rated criminal lawyer.

David’s patience and aggressive but calm attitude are tremendous assets — both, when helping clients and when defending a case in front of a judge.

David J. Shrager is adamant that his legal team remains down-to-earth, despite many successes over the years.  Attorney Shrager makes sure that he and his team are always accessible to clients, and will never speak down to them or speak in complicated legalese.

Attorney Shelley Duff

Shelley Duff, Esq. is a Senior Attorney with Shrager Defense Attorneys where she exclusively practices Criminal Defense. Shelley is a Pittsburgh native and graduate of the University of Pittsburgh and Cleveland Marshall College of Law.
Shelley Duff - Pittsburgh Criminal Lawyer

Shelley started her legal career as an attorney with the Commonwealth of Kentucky’s Department of Public Advocacy. She later became a prosecutor with the Blair County Pennsylvania District Attorney’s Office and was an Assistant Public Defender for seven years with the Allegheny County Public Defender’s Office. She has extensive trial experience and has handled every type of case from DUI’s to homicides. Shelley is a member of the Pennsylvania and Ohio Bar.

Attorney Lyle Dresbold

Attorney Lyle Dresbold is a native Pittsburgher who has successfully defended clients in front of judges and juries in 20 counties across Western Pennsylvania and in Federal Court. He attended law school at Duquesne University where upon graduation he was inducted into the Order of the Barrister recognizing his outstanding skills in trial advocacy.

Attorney Dresbold taught criminal law and evidence at Robert Morris University and was an adjunct professor of trial advocacy at Duquesne. He sits on the Allegheny County Criminal Litigation Committee Council and the board of the Allegheny County chapter of the Pennsylvania Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. Attorney Dresbold is recognized as an expert in Criminal Defense and DUI.

Attorney Kevin Chernosky

Attorney Kevin Chernosky is a criminal defense lawyer with Shrager Defense Attorneys in Pittsburgh, PA.

He was admitted to the Pennsylvania Bar in 2004 and began his legal career as an Assistant Public Defender in Franklin County, Pennsylvania.

He later became an Assistant District Attorney in Allegheny County where he prosecuted the most difficult and complex cases including countless violent felonies and child abuse cases as well as Death Penalty Cases on behalf of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

He most recently held the position of Deputy District Attorney of the Homicide Division where he led and supervised a staff of homicide prosecutors while maintaining his own homicide trial calendar.

Additionally, Kevin was a special prosecutor for the Pittsburgh G-20 Conference in 2009, has handled complex investigations and death penalty cases, and has extensive experience with vehicular homicides.

Attorney Chernosky enjoys spending time with his wife and family, as well as his dog, Smalls, and cats, Gucci, Puffy, and Gravy.

Attorney Frankie Exler

Frankie Exler is an Associate Attorney with Shrager Defense Attorneys. Frankie is a Pittsburgh native and joined the firm during the summer of 2017 as a legal intern and continued working for the firm while she was home from college in the winter and summer months. Following her graduation from the University of Tennessee in 2019, she returned home to attend the University of Pittsburgh School of Law.

During her time in law school, Frankie continued to work for the firm and was our full-time law clerk. Additionally, she was a certified legal intern for both the Sikov Elder Law Clinic where she drafted wills, power of attorney, and performed guardianship hearings in Orphans’ Court. She was also a certified legal intern for the Allegheny County Office of the Public Defender where she was able to start representing clients in criminal court.

Throughout her time at the firm, she has developed a deep understanding of the criminal process in all counties in which we practice. Her experience and devotion to our clients is part of the reason she decided to attend law school and remain with the firm after she passed the Pennsylvania Bar in the summer of 2022. Frankie is a member of the Allegheny County Bar Association and Amen Corner.

In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family, friends, and her beloved horse, River.