With a national reputation only exceeded by his regional stature, Steven L. Sugarman is widely considered the premier practitioner of community association law in Pennsylvania.

Steve was the founding principal of the esteemed community association law firm, Steven L. Sugarman & Associates, and its merger with Gawthrop Greenwood in August 2023 created one of the largest law firms supporting homeowners associations (HOAs), planned communities, condominium associations and cooperatives in Pennsylvania. The merger ensures that Steve’s clients benefit from an expanded array of services and legal disciplines that are of limited availability elsewhere.

A community association law attorney for more than 40 years, Steve has played a critical role in establishing statutory and decisional law governing Pennsylvania’s common interest communities (CICs). As the chair and active member of the Community Associations Institute’s (CAI) Legislative Action Committee for many years, Steve drafted and advocated for key amendments to Pennsylvania’s statutes as community associations have evolved into the fastest-growing form of housing. He also serves as an expert witness on community association matters brought before Pennsylvania’s courts and General Assembly.

A member of the prestigious College of Community Association Lawyers since 2000 and a past president of CAI’s regional chapter, Steve is an adjunct professor at the Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law, where he developed and teaches one of the few law school courses nationwide on Condominium and Homeowner Association Law. He has been awarded Martindale Hubbell’s highest AV Preeminent peer review rating and has been featured as a Pennsylvania “Super Lawyer” every year since 2007.

Steve’s writings include, “Setting the Standard of Care in Premises Liability Cases,” published in CAI’s Journal of Community Association Law. A frequent lecturer at the local and national levels on real estate and community association matters, Steve has presented numerous programs for the Pennsylvania Bar Institute, CAI, National Business Institute, National Constitution Center and other educational organizations. Programs include:

• Assessing the Law of Assessments in Condominium and Homeowner Associations
• From the Developer to the Association: Tackling the Transition in the Community Association
• How the Uniform Planned Community Act Really Works
• Dealing with Developers’ Liabilities in Condominium and Homeowner Associations
• New Issues in Condominium and Homeowner Associations: Conflicts and the Courts
• Condos & HOAs from A to Z: Understanding the Basics
• Condominium and Homeowner Associations: Lessons on Liabilities, Liens and Litigation

Steve has been involved in a number of landmark legal decisions, including:

• Eagleview Corporate Center Association v. Citadel Federal Credit Union, 243 A.3d 764 (Pa. Cmwlth. 2020) (a declaration’s restrictive covenant relating to rooftop mechanicals must be clear and free from doubt to support a mandatory injunction).
• M4 Holdings v. Lake Harmony Estates Property Owners Association, 277 A.3d 1208 (Pa. Cmwlth. 2020) (holding that a series of e-mail communications among board members did not constitute a valid board meeting).
• Tivoli Condominium Association v. Rodin Parking Partners, LP, 109 A.3d 344 (Pa. Cmwlth. 2015) (declarant’s creation of a garage unit to be established with unassigned parking spaces following the sales of units did not violate the provisions of the UCA).
• MetroClub Condominium Association v. 201-59 North Eighth Street Associates, L.P., 47 A.3d 137 (Pa. Super. 2012) (challenging the right of a declarant to control parking spaces following the termination of the period of Declarant control of the association).
• Andrea Kantor v. Wrenfield Homeowners Association, Inc., 2008 WL 9398989 (Pa. Cmwlth. 2008) (association was vested with the authority to convey a portion of its common areas upon the requisite approval of the homeowners under the governing declaration).
• Wrenfield Homeowners Association, Inc. v. DeYoung, 600 A.2d 960 (Pa. Super. 1991) (attorneys’ fees are fully recoverable as “costs of collection” against a delinquent owner).
• Mayflower Square Condominium Association v. KMALM, Inc., 724 A.2d 389 (Pa. Cmwlth. 1999) (requiring unit owner to pay assessments under governing documents and general principles of property law).
• Klein Real Estate v. Ridings at Brookside Condominium, 67 Pa. D.&C. 4th 384 (Lehigh Co. 2004) (a condominium association’s publication to its members is not defamatory since the association has a “conditional privilege” to communicate with its members).

Court Admissions

• Pennsylvania, 1980
• Chester County, PA, 1980
• United States Supreme Court, 1988
• Eastern District of Pennsylvania, 1981

Education

• Temple University Beasley School of Law, J.D., 1980
• Cornell University, B.A., History, 1976

Membership & Service

• Community Associations Institute (CAI), Past President, Pennsylvania and Delaware Valley Chapter
• College of Community Association Lawyers, 2000-present. Amicus Curiae Committee, 2010-present. Nominating Committee, 2007-2010
• Adjunct Faculty member at Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law, 2010-present
• Expert witness on community association matters brought before Pennsylvania’s courts and General Assembly
• Primary advisor on key legislation governing common interest ownership communities in Pennsylvania
• American Bar Association
• Pennsylvania Bar Association
• Chester County Bar Association
• American Association for Justice
• Pennsylvania Association for Justice
• Trustee Emeritus, Cornell Club of Greater Philadelphia

Additional Distinctions

• The Best Lawyers in America^®, 2024-present
• Pennsylvania Super Lawyers, 2007-present
• Top Attorneys, Suburban Life Magazine
• Top Lawyers, Main Line Today
• Community Associations Institute (CAI) Robert H. Wise President’s Award
• AV Rating – Martindale-Hubbell
• Influential Philadelphia Area Lawyers, Philadelphia Magazine