Suburban Life - Main Line/Philadelphia

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SL_PROFILE_Morrone Law_0724_FINAL_Layout 1 8 / 30 / 24 2 : 34 PM Page 1 Led by Joseph Marrone , Philadelphia - based Marrone Law Firm LLC has earned a national reputation of fighting for the underdog , including the wrongfully convicted . ven after 30 years at the pinnacle of his profession , Joseph Marrone continues to find new mountains to climb . The founder and managing partner of Marrone Law Firm LLC envi - E sions an even bigger and brighter future for himself and the law firm he leads , which is poised to reach new heights on several fronts . For Marrone , his representation ranges from catastrophic injury cases , to a victim of police misconduct or medical malpractice , and even those whose life has been upended as a result of being wrongfully convicted for a crime they did not commit . While every case and every client may be unique , one constant in Marrone’s work is the courage to stand up and fight for those who face seemingly insurmountable odds . “ That’s been the mantra of our entire practice from the beginning , ” he says . “ We’re always fighting for the little guy who is up against the goliath , so to speak . That’s just the way it’s always been , and we’ve had a lot of success that way . You have to be a fighter , you have to be willing to persevere , and you can’t be afraid to go the extra step and get clients where they need to be . ” Marrone’s rise began in the early 1990s , when he was an advisor to former Pennsyl - vania Governor and Mayor Ed Rendell on his successful mayoral campaign . The two devel - oped a friendship , and as a result Rendell hired Marrone as an attorney for the city of Philadelphia , which included working as a city solicitor for a number of years . The con - Never Back nections Marrone made and relationships he forged as a member of the Rendell adminis - tration inspired him to “ take the next step ” — starting his own firm . In 1993 , Marrone Law Firm was born . Most of Marrone’s earliest clients involved cases pertaining to criminal defense or personal Down injury , though he has since expanded into more significant civil litigation and civil rights cases . The firm has represented clients in by M AT T CO S E N T I N O | photos by J E F F A N D E R S O N Pennsylvania , New Jersey , and New York , as well as across the country , and has earned a string of successes that have included major settlements and jury verdicts . SUBURBANLIFEMAGAZINE.COM VOLUME 15 ISSUE 11 60 |

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SL_PROFILE_Morrone Law_0724_FINAL_Layout 1 8 / 30 / 24 2 : 35 PM Page 2 of the crimes they’ve been con - force to kill an innocent man . In another , he victed of . ” is representing fallen Temple University police One of them was William officer Christopher D . Fitzgerald and his family . Franklin , who served 44 years in Marrone gives back to the community in prison after being convicted for a ways beyond pro bono work . In 2017 he 1976 murder in Philadelphia’s was invited to join the Governing Board of Brewerytown neighborhood . Mar - Directors for the nonprofit mentoring organ - rone helped Franklin earn his ization Big Brothers Big Sisters of Philadelphia freedom earlier this year . There – Independence Region . He serves as chair was also Michael White , who in of a signature annual fundraising event called June 1977 was convicted of rob - Fashion Touchdown , which partners with bing and murdering a shopkeeper the Philadelphia Eagles ; the event has raised and sentenced to life in prison millions of dollars over the years for BBBS without the possibility for parole . Independence . Marrone fought to help White Whether his efforts involve philanthropy regain his freedom in April 2023 . or legal work , Marrone always strives to do All told , White spent nearly 47 the most good . For clients , he wants current years of his life behind bars for a and prospective clients to know that the legal crime he did not commit . team of Marrone Law Firm will do everything Additionally , Marrone Law in their power to procure the best outcome , Firm has taken on a landmark whether that means negotiating a just settlement case : Alexander McClay Williams , or going to trial . who at 16 was the youngest “ We’re always prepared , ” he says . “ That’s person in Pennsylvania to be exe - what being a good lawyer is : believing in cuted . The case made national your client , standing by your client , and fighting headlines and , after decades of to get the best possible results . You don’t investigation , Williams was exon - know where you’re going when you get into erated . Now , Marrone has filed a these cases , and you just have to press forward “ You have to be a fighter , you civil rights lawsuit against and make sure you get the best result . ” Delaware County . Considering Marrone’s steady ascent to have to be willing to persevere , “ Post - conviction relief work theproverbial top of the mountain , the never - is when the defendant has back - down approach seems to have served andyou can’t be afraid to go the exhausted his appeals but has him quite well . “ We went from a small little extra step and get clients where subsequentlyfound new evidence practice to being nationally known , ” he says . to prove their innocence , ” Mar - “ We get to be part of some really ground - theyneed to be . ” rone says . “ You have to re - litigate breaking cases , so that shows us that we’ve the case and it gets very compli - come a long way . Whenever I feel like we’ve — Joseph Marrone , cated and very time - consuming , reachedthe top , it just keeps getting better . ” ? Marrone Law FirM LLC and most of these defendants have no money or resources . For example , Marrone was part of a group We’ve handled a lot of cases pro bono , and of attorneys who secured the largest personal that’s what inspired the nonprofit that we injury settlement in Pennsylvania history — recently launched , Second Justice . ” $ 227 million — for victims of the 2013 Philadel - SecondJustice aims to “ provide a glimmer phia Salvation Army Thrift Store collapse . He of hope ” and legal resources to victims of also secured $ 32.5 million in a confidential injustice and prosecutorial misconduct . The premises liability case in which his client was nonprofit strives to work with communities catastrophically injured , and $ 17 million in a to reform the legal system , as well as protect medical malpractice case for a client who humanand civil rights through research , advo - was left permanently incapacitated with severe cacy , and investigation ; pre - litigation preparation ; neurological damage . and litigation support for the post - conviction Lately Marrone has been receiving recog - relief of wrongfully convicted individuals , par - nition , both locally and nationally , for his ticularly the indigent and underprivileged . ? efforts to find justice for clients who have As Second Justice’s successes multiply , served lengthy prison sentences for crimes sodoes the demand . they did not commit . He cites Walter Ogrod , a “ We need more lawyers to help with Marrone Law Firm LLC Philadelphia man who was exonerated in those cases , ” Marrone adds . “ It’s a war of MarroneLaw.com | ( 215 ) 732 - 6700 2020 after spending nearly three decades in attrition when you’re fighting with the gov - prison for the 1988 murder of a young girl . In ernment . It can take months or years to have 200 S . Broad Street , # 610 2023 , Marrone secured a $ 9.1 million settlement any kind of success , and that’s just one case . of the federal civil rights lawsuit he filed against There are hundreds of potential cases , so the Philadelphia , PA 19102 the city of Philadelphia . more lawyers we can get to come on board “ [ Ogrod ] served 28 years behind bars 532Route 70 West , 2nd Floor as Second Justice grows , the better . But we as an innocent person , and we were suc - alsoneed to raise money and get governmental Cherry Hill , NJ 08002 cessful in our lawsuit against the city of support . ” Philadelphia , ” he says . “ Not only do we liti - The firm continues to be diverse . In one For more information about Second Justice , gate civil rights lawsuits , but we fight to get instance , Marrone is suing the New Castle visit SecondJustice.org . clients exonerated when they are innocent DelawarePolice Department for using deadly SUBURBANLIFEMAGAZINE.COM VOLUME 15 ISSUE 11 | 61

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