About This Episode
Before they represented injured people, Steven DeBonis and Caterina Saile spent years on the prosecution side of the courtroom. Steven tried cases at the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office and the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office. Caterina spent more than a decade with the Delaware Department of Justice, where she led the Violent Criminal Enterprises Unit and served as lead prosecutor in “Operation Son Sun,” one of Delaware’s largest heroin trafficking prosecutions.
In this episode, the two colleagues trade stories from those years: Caterina’s “backwards path” into prosecution, what it takes to build a RICO case all the way up to a wiretap, a 38-witness trial on a retiring judge’s clock, and the victims who stay with you long after the verdict. They also talk about how that experience shapes their personal injury work today. That includes investigating past the police report, treating clients with real empathy, avoiding tunnel vision, and why insurance companies take you more seriously when you’re willing to try the case.
Meet the Attorneys
Steven J. DeBonis, Host
Steven is a trial attorney at Cordisco & Saile who represents clients with catastrophic injuries. He handles trucking and motor vehicle crashes, sexual assault cases, and nursing home neglect. He began his career at the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office, then joined the vertical trial team at the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office, where he tried cases ranging from drug offenses to drug-induced homicides. He holds a JD from Rutgers Law School and an LL.M. in Trial Advocacy from Temple University. He is licensed in Pennsylvania and New Jersey and has been named a Super Lawyers Rising Star.
Caterina G. Saile, Guest
Caterina is a trial attorney at Cordisco & Saile with more than 20 years of courtroom experience. She spent over a decade as a prosecutor with the Delaware Department of Justice. In 2016 she was named Unit Head of the Violent Criminal Enterprises Unit, where she oversaw wiretap and gang investigations alongside the DEA and FBI. Her work as lead prosecutor in “Operation Son Sun” ended in a RICO conviction after a jury trial. She later served as Managing Partner of Saile & Saile LLP, where she led the firm’s criminal defense practice. She is licensed in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware, and has been named a Pennsylvania Super Lawyer from 2024 to 2026.
