MORGANTOWN, W.Va. Morgantown native and veteran attorney Natalie Sal is one of three candidates for Monongalia County Circuit Court Judge in Division 1.
Natalie Sal is a Morgantown native and WVU College of Law graduate. Her law firm, Sal, Sellaro, and Culpepper Legal, won the West Virginia Legal Aid 2021 Pro Bono Law Firm Award. She lives in Morgantown with her husband and two children.
On WAJR’s “Talk of the Town,” she said her experience includes service on the West Virginia Court Improvement Program Oversight Board, which is focused on child welfare law, and as Monongalia County Bar President. In many cases, she has served as a guardian, protecting the rights of children in child welfare cases. Currently, she serves as a Criminal Justice Act Panel Attorney for the Federal Northern District of West Virginia and has 26 years of experience handling federal felony cases.
“My practice has been very heavy in cases that help families and children in crisis,” Sal said. “Those are the cases that circuit courts have heavily on their docket; those are the cases I’ve been doing for 29 years.”
If elected, she pledges to understand not just the details of the case but also details about the victims and the person accused to make sure all the important facts in the case are considered before a decision is rendered.
“They’re going to have an absolutely fair forum,” Sal said. “They’re going to have a forum that is fair no matter what walk of life they’re from, no matter what their circumstances are—they can expect me to listen to their stories.”
Sal wants to make sure families, children, or anyone in crisis has access to some of the resources available locally. Before advocating for new spending on programs, she wants to completely exhaust available agencies and professionals.
“One of the things I would like to do is try and continue to make resources available to families in crisis and child welfare situations,” Sal said.
“We need to have enough people available and enough programs available so families can maintain connections as they work through the healing process,” Sal said.
Understanding cases and their impact on victims is as vital as knowing details about the people in her courtroom. Taking the time to understand the people behind the circumstances can result in justice for the community and the best possible outcome for the defendant.
“They have different levels of motivation and acceptance of treatment, so it’s hard to say where you strike a balance with any given person,” Sal said. “You get to know who that person is, and there are ways within the court system to make that happen.”