Hannalore Burns Merritt

Hannalore serves as Osterhout Berger Disability Law’s managing partner, bringing years of legal expertise and knowledge to her practice, which concentrates on federal court appeals in the areas of Social Security disability and ERISA.

In 2014, Hannalore and her family moved to Pittsburgh after a ten-year tenure in the Navy while her husband was an officer in the submarine force. Prior to joining Osterhout Berger Disability Law, Hannalore worked as a judicial clerk for three years in the Superior Court of Connecticut and the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Court. She then joined Waller, Smith and Palmer, PC in New London, Connecticut, where she practiced primarily in the areas of litigation and municipal law.

Hannalore received her bachelor’s degree from The Pennsylvania State University, after which she received a Fulbright Fellowship to study law and political science in Munich, Germany. Hannalore returned to earn her JD magna cum laude from Seattle University School of Law. In addition to practicing law, Hannalore is a past-president of the Greater Pittsburgh Area Chapter of the Fulbright Association and volunteers with various community organizations, including North Hills Community Outreach’s Ask the Attorney Program.