His baggy, three-piece zoot suits and shaved head earned attorney Stephen R. Greenberg an occasional sidelong glance from prospective jurors and helped secure his place in courtroom lore.

"He had a very good way of introducing himself to a jury," said Assistant District Attorney Lawrence Claus, a prosecutor in many of Mr. Greenberg's criminal cases. "By the time the jury was empaneled, he had overcome any concerns they might have had about him."

Mr. Greenberg, of Swisshelm Park, a relentless advocate for often high-profile clients whose loud sense of style clashed with his soft-spoken persuasiveness, died in a traffic accident yesterday in Weirton, W.Va. He was 43.

Weirton police Chief Bruce Marshall said Mr. Greenberg was traveling alone, heading south on Route 2 near Avenue F, when his car crashed into a utility pole. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

His body was taken to Morgantown, W.Va., for an autopsy and toxicology tests.

Mr. Greenberg's death shook members of the legal community, who described him yesterday as a driven attorney whose oratory skills and attention to detail made him a powerful force in the courtroom. At home, they said, he was a devoted father of two children whose sports tournaments he rarely missed.

"This is a real shock," Common Pleas Judge Kathleen A. Durkin said. Mr. Greenberg worked as her law clerk for more than a decade. "Everybody respected him. People were aware of his abilities. If they weren't, it was because they didn't know very much about the law."

The son of an attorney who was raised in Squirrel Hill, Mr. Greenberg graduated from Allderdice High School and went on to be a starting pitcher at Allegheny College in Meadville, said lifelong friend and fellow attorney Lee Rothman.

As a private practice attorney, Mr. Greenberg represented everyone from drug offenders and prostitutes to police officers and homicide suspects.

"He fought extra hard for his clients," said attorney James Sheets.

His cases often captured news headlines, including that of former West Mifflin police Officer Noel G. Missig, who was convicted for assaulting a juvenile suspect and later lying about it. A jury found him guilty on five of nine counts, acquitting him of charges that he planted cocaine on a suspect.

"I thought he did a terrific job with that in light of the verdicts that came down," said Common Pleas Judge David. R. Cashman.

Mr. Greenberg's skill came from, among other things, his in-depth knowledge of his cases, fellow attorneys said. He had a command of his cases that freed him from his notes and gave him courtroom prowess, Judge Cashman said.

"I knew I had to be very prepared on my cases," said Mr. Claus.

Mr. Greenberg is survived by his wife, Nina Coyle Greenberg; his children, Mara and Sam; his parents, David and Bonnie Greenberg of Squirrel Hill; and a brother, Roger, of Bala Cynwyd, Montgomery County.

Visitation will be tomorrow from noon to 1 p.m. at Ralph Schugar Chapel, 5509 Centre Ave., Shadyside, with funeral services immediately following.

Burial will be in Homewood Cemetery.

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