About Diane Stopyra
Articles written by Diane Stopyra
Leaning Into Growth
How Angelo Villarreal’s past jobs—and travels—inform his employment practiceWhen bullets ricocheted nearby, Angelo Villarreal ducked behind a building in a dense Brazilian neighborhood. Crouched between concrete walls in a stark hillside community, the then-21-year-old felt something unexpected: motivation. Though his heart pounded, the moment only affirmed his desire to see the world in all its complexity—the good, the bad, the brutal. “I come from an extremely isolated place, so when I got out, I let my curiosity run wild. That’s how you learn. And as a …
The Circle of Life and Law
Johnny Kornegay transformed his funeral parlor past to an estate administration presentWhen he wasn’t riding scooters with friends in the parking lot, Johnny Kornegay’s childhood chores included hauling flowers and holding doors for grieving servicegoers. Growing up in his family’s funeral parlor just 150 steps from his front door in Camden, Kornegay’s encounters with death were a routine part of life. In his late teens, he made house calls to the bereaved, helping determine the best way to transport a body. “My daddy did this work, my granddaddy did it and my …
Once a Marine, Always a Marine
Steve Ray looks back on his time in the serviceOorah! For members of the United States Marine Corps, it’s a spirited battle cry—and a reminder to keep going, even when circumstances seem bleak. And, as personal injury lawyer and retired Marine Corps Col. Steve Ray knows, the mantra works both in and out of uniform. “I had a recent case where a young man got really hurt due to gross mistakes by some very powerful people,” Ray says. “I’d get up at 3 a.m. after three or four hours of sleep, because preparing for trial was so …
Fifty States, No Objections
Debra Saltz’s experiences in countrywide marathons hardened her legal resolveAfter braving extreme temperatures, venomous wildlife and—perhaps most harrowing of all—intense chafing, Debra Saltz ran a marathon in all 50 states. “For me, nothing has matched the difficulty of this,” says the Annapolis attorney. “And I try murder cases.” Her journey began in 2006. Approaching her 40th birthday and wanting to improve her fitness, Saltz committed to training for a marathon, the pirate-themed Gasparilla Distance Classic in Tampa, Florida. After completing the …
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