About Natalie Pompilio
Natalie Pompilio is an award-winning freelance writer based in Philadelphia. Formerly a staff writer for The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Philadelphia Daily News and The Times-Picayune of New Orleans, Natalie was on the ground in Iraq in 2003 and in New Orleans as Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005. She’s collaborated on four Philadelphia-centric books: More Philadelphia Murals and The Stories They Tell (with Jane Golden and Robin Rice); Philadelphia A to Z (with photographer Jennifer Zdon); Walking Philadelphia: 30 Walking Tours Featuring Art, History, Architecture, and Little Known Gems (with photographer Tricia Pompilio) and This Used to Be Philadelphia (with photographer Tricia Pompilio. She holds degrees from Johns Hopkins University and the University of Maryland, and she’s a rabid New York Yankees fan.
Articles written by Natalie Pompilio
Murray & Murray & Murray & Murray & …
A short history of the family firm in Sandusky that has existed for nearly 100 yearsThe law firm of Murray & Murray has been the talk of the town since 1931, when Emmett and Thomas Sr. went into business together at “the only law firm of brothers in Sandusky,” as an article in The Sandusky Register noted that year. In the decades that followed, the firm became known for high-profile wins against big industries—and also for the sheer number of Murrays-at-law. At least 17 have practiced at the personal injury firm, which has been in operation more than 90 years. …
Give His Regards
Jason Baruch brings a cool head to the hot lightsBroadway is a fickle business. Years of work and millions of dollars can produce a must-see musical or an overnight flop. You never know. But sometimes you do. “There are moments when you are seeing or hearing something for the first time,” says entertainment attorney Jason Baruch, “sitting on the edge of your plastic seat in this small, uncomfortable rehearsal room, and you feel, ‘This is going to be something.’ It’s thrilling.” Baruch felt that thrill when he first heard a …
‘A Just and Important Fight’
Walter Kelley takes us inside his landmark wrongful death verdict against R.J. ReynoldsWhen a Massachusetts jury in 2023 ordered R.J. Reynolds to pay $200 million to the family of a longtime smoker who died of lung cancer—the largest wrongful death suit award in Boston history—the family’s attorney, Walter Kelley, wasn’t surprised. “The verdict … wasn’t an anomaly or a fluke. It was a just result based on the strength of the evidence the jury heard,” Kelley says. “If future juries listen just as carefully to the facts and apply the law as instructed, I …
Starting the Conversation
Allison Stewart’s podcast invites women attorneys to share their storiesWhen Allison Stewart invites attorneys onto her podcast, Women in Law on the Record, some demur, saying, “My story’s not very interesting,” or “I haven’t done anything spectacular,” or “I’m not as far along as I thought I’d be.” Afterward, “They always end up feeling proud of themselves,” says Stewart, who practices civil litigation in the Dallas office of Greenberg Traurig. “That’s one of my favorite things about the whole process: seeing women take pride in their …
The Healer
Former critical-care nurse Jane Morrow now advocates for victims of medical malpracticeWhen Jane Morrow reflects on some of the proudest moments of her 30-plus years as a medical malpractice attorney, it’s not the big financial settlements and verdicts that come to mind. “I think about the times where I just showed up for the patient or for the client, at the most vulnerable times of their lives,” says Morrow, who recently completed Red Cross disaster training and is ready for her first deployment. “That’s what’s meant the most: that I was there for them, that I was …
Major Gains
Armand Leonelli lifts up clients and weights alikeIn the world of competitive powerlifting, the top prizes go to the competitor who can handle the most weight while performing three lifts: squat, deadlift and bench press. But it takes more than muscles to come out on top. “Everybody’s strong,” says personal injury lawyer Armand Leonelli, the CEO of Edgar Snyder & Associates in Pittsburgh, of his competition. So he takes a similar approach as he does in the courtroom, where he knows he’ll be facing off against someone who is …
The Problem Solver
First as a nurse, now as a litigator, Tammy White-Farrell has put analytical thinking to good useTammy White-Farrell has practiced law for more than 30 years, but she still uses the skills she honed during her time as a registered nurse. Both jobs, she notes, require focus, creative problem-solving and compassion. “A good nurse, like a good counselor, is an analyst and an educator as well as a caregiver,” says White-Farrell, 61, co-founder of Farrell & Farrell in Huntington, where she works with husband Michael Farrell and son Robert White. “I’m a very analytical thinker …
Deep Waters
Water law attorneys stay afloat in the practice area’s constant flowWhen David Mielke began practicing water rights law in Albuquerque 27 years ago, he inherited a case that had been in dispute for more than a dozen years. It concerns quantifying the water rights of three pueblos—Jemez, Zia and Santa Ana—in the Jemez River Basin. More than two decades later, it still hasn’t been concluded. “Water rights settlements typically take a long time to litigate or negotiate,” says Mielke, a partner at Sonosky, Chambers, Sachse, Mielke & Brownell. …
Better Together
Three young attorneys discuss the present and future of lawWhen Chelsea K. Mork says she’s an associate at a female-founded and -operated law firm in Denver, “my grandmothers just beam. “They just can’t believe it,” says Mork, an associate with GEM Family Law since 2023. “Our generation welcomes more voices and more diverse perspectives. We’re openingup the field and giving more people access to justice.” Denver solo practitioner Marquiel Cade has also seen growing diversity in the legal field since launching CadeMarq Law a year ago and …
‘The Next Person’s Journey’
Omar Bareentto is all about paying it forwardOmar Bareentto is an investor—but not the kind focused just on finance. The Newark attorney believes in putting time into people. In his current portfolio are: Aaron, a 17-year-old he connected with through Big Brothers Big Sisters of America a decade ago; fellow members of The Collective, a loose association of lawyers of color that he helped launch; and the next generation of African-American legal leaders. “Black lawyers in the ‘70s and ‘80s … didn’t have people that came before …
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