Natalie C. Magdeburger
For more than thirty years, Natalie Magdeburger has worked as an attorney defending actions of wrongful deaths and serious personal injury claims at both the trial and appellate levels. She has also been engaged in the representation of physicians and hospitals throughout the State of Maryland in the defense of medical negligence and other health care-related actions. She is a two time recipient (2014 and 2019) of the Best Lawyers in America Baltimore Area Lawyer of the Year for Professional Malpractice Law – Defendants.
When did you first realize you wanted to practice law?
If you listen to my parents, they will tell you that I was born a lawyer with an ability to “debate” an issue from the moment I could talk. However, it was not until I got to college at Duke University that I found my calling. I originally intended to pursue the medical field and become a physician. However, after taking some law courses, I redirected my path after realizing that law would complement my strong sense of always wanting to do what is fair and appropriate. I was also interested in serving as an advocate for others. Those things were always extremely important to me.
What attracted you to begin working as a trial lawyer?
I love people and I love teaching people. In fact, as a child of educators, I actually got my teaching degree prior to my law degree. Once a lawyer, I found that I loved presenting information that is complicated or emotional to people in a way that is understandable and easy to comprehend. To me, getting people to understand all aspects of an issue is extremely rewarding and I feel if I can do that effectively, then I have served my client well.
What traits make a good attorney?
Honesty and credibility for starters. Followed by effort, hard work and paying attention to the smallest details. I am honest when presenting cases at all times and work hard to stay focused on the details
How did playing field hockey in college help prepare you for this profession?
Athletics taught me discipline on many different levels. This started with learning to be a good teammate, as the best teams are the ones that work well together. We have a great team of attorneys in our firm as a whole and in our Medical Malpractice Defense Group. Our group supports each other, works hard for each other and are the loudest cheerleaders when we share our successes – which I have to admit in our group is quite frequent! Sports also taught me how to be prepared. All the long hours invested into training and practice eventually produce results on the field. Discipline became ingrained into me from participating in sports and now guides me towards what I need to accomplish when practicing as a trial lawyer. This includes working long hours and paying attention to many details so that I can make sure I have mastered the subject matter. Time management takes care of itself because you need to focus on getting things done. Finally, sports taught me to keep pushing myself until the end. I learned to never give up or to get overwhelmed because if you work hard enough, you can overcome the fiercest of adversaries.
What motivates you on a daily basis?
I really enjoy working with and for my clients. They have given up a large part of their life to help others and they have a compassion toward people that those of us who are not health care providers do not understand. It takes a tremendous commitment to become a physician or other health care provider. When they are accused of causing an injury while trying to provide care to their patients, it really affects them and their whole outlook on life. Some of the most rewarding parts of my job is taking care of them, guiding them through the litigation, and returning their reputation back to them.
Pessin Katz Law, P.A. (PK Law) is the ninth largest law firm in the Baltimore area and has been serving clients for thirty years. PK Law maintains full-service offices in Towson, Columbia, and Bel Air and is comprised of more than 50 lawyers, paralegals and law clerks. Practice areas include corporate law, real estate, zoning, education law, estate planning, elder law, labor and employment, litigation, insurance law and medical malpractice defense. For additional information, visit www.PKLaw.com. Contact Natalie Magdeburger at nmagdeburger@pklaw.com or 410.339.5793.
