Bruce D. Shuter, Philadelphia lawyer and father of Judge David C. Shuter, dies at 79
A former employee of the Federal Reserve Bank, Mr. Shuter made a name for himself as a bankruptcy lawyer in Philadelphia.
Bruce D. Shuter, 79, of Langhorne, a Philadelphia lawyer and the father of Municipal Court Judge David C. Shuter, died Monday, Feb. 17, from liver and kidney failure, at The Villages in Florida.
Mr. Shuter was born in New York City to David C. and Lillian Herman Shuter. He grew up in Spring Valley, N.Y., and earned a bachelor’s degree in 1961 from Alfred University and a law degree from New York University in 1964.
Mr. Shuter began his career as an attorney for the Federal Reserve Bank in Washington, where he developed an expertise in banking law. In 1970, he moved to Philadelphia and joined the law firm of Drinker Biddle & Reath, now Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath. He became a partner in 1973 and then head of the firm’s banking department.
Andy Kassner, the company’s cochair, said: “The firm is saddened to hear of the passing of our longtime partner Bruce Shuter. He developed a reputation as a leading banking lawyer in Philadelphia. He was a trusted adviser to many of the city’s largest financial institutions, a leader in the firm, and a mentor to a generation of financial-services lawyers.”
Mr. Shuter was the driving force behind the Chapter 11 reorganization of two Philadelphia medical centers, St. Joseph’s Hospital and Franklin Square Hospital, his family said in a statement.
Beset with financial problems, Franklin Square Hospital filed for bankruptcy in 1990. It was acquired by Cooper Health Systems of New Jersey in 1992 and renamed Cooper Hospital Center City before closing in 1993 when the health system failed to acquire a bailout loan.
St. Joseph’s Hospital at 16th Street and Girard Avenue defaulted on bond payments in 1979 and 1990. Its bankrupt owner, North Philadelphia Health System, reached a deal in 2017 to sell the shuttered hospital building for $8.1 million to a real estate developer.
“He kept them from closing for a long time,” said his son, who was a bankruptcy lawyer before becoming a judge.
In 1961, Mr. Shuter married Marsha Ellen Shuter. They had two children, whom they raised in Philadelphia and Cheltenham before divorcing in 1987. She survives.
In 1989, he remarried. His wife is Janis Klein Shuter.
His son David, a Philadelphia Municipal Court judge since 2006, said Mr. Shuter influenced his two sons to choose careers in the law. His son Richard is a media lawyer in Beverly Hills, Calif.
“We inherited his way of thinking. We both have legal kinds of minds,” David Shuter said. “He definitely wanted us to follow in his footsteps. He was proud of us, that we did.”
Mr. Shuter was an avid ice hockey fan. He held season tickets to Flyers games starting in 1972. In his mid-30s, he began playing in a men’s ice hockey league until a shoulder injury in his early 60s forced him to quit.
He was an active member of the Wissahickon Skating Club, coaching youth hockey there for many years and later serving as the club’s vice president. He passed on his enthusiasm for the sport to his children and grandchildren, and enjoyed watching them play.
After retiring in 2005, Mr. Shuter and his wife purchased a home in The Villages, a community in central Florida, where they spent the last 15 winters. He played golf almost daily.
Besides his wife, Janis, and two sons, he is survived by stepchildren Alayne, Matthew, and Adam, and seven grandchildren.
Plans for a memorial service were pending. Burial was private.
Memorial donations may be made to the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation via https://www.crohnscolitisfoundation.org/donate/honors-and-memorials, or by calling 215-396-9100. Mr. Shuter battled Crohn’s disease as an adult, his family said.