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Overview

Overview

Niayla-Dia H. Murray is an associate at Gfeller Laurie LLP whose practice focuses on general liability, personal injury defense, construction litigation, and professional liability matters throughout Pennsylvania and New Jersey. She represents insureds, businesses, and other clients through all stages of civil litigation, including written discovery, depositions, motion practice, settlement negotiations, and trial preparation.

Niayla-Dia has successfully argued discovery and dispositive motions and has experience examining witnesses in contested proceedings. She approaches litigation with an emphasis on early case assessment, practical strategy, and identifying opportunities to efficiently position matters for favorable resolution.

In 2026, Niayla-Dia was named a finalist for the Pennsylvania Legal Awards’ Most Promising Newcomer Award. Outside of her litigation practice, she is actively involved in the Philadelphia legal community and serves as an elected member of the Philadelphia Bar Association Young Lawyers Division Executive Committee. She is also active with the National Bar Association Women Lawyers Division, the Barristers’ Association of Philadelphia, and the Pennsylvania Bar Association.

A Philadelphia native, Niayla-Dia developed an interest in premises liability while studying the Scandinavian criminal justice system abroad. After an unexpected injury required her to navigate Sweden’s healthcare and legal systems, the experience sparked an interest in civil litigation that ultimately helped shape her career.

Before entering practice, Niayla-Dia distinguished herself as a trial advocate, placing second in three nationally recognized trial competitions and winning the American Association for Justice Northeast Regional Competition. In 2023, the Philadelphia Trial Lawyers Association awarded her the James J. Manderino Award for Trial Advocacy. She earned both her J.D. and undergraduate degree from Drexel University.

 

Experience

Experience

Representative Experience

  • Deposed fact witnesses and police officers in several motor vehicle cases.
  • Prepared clients for depositions in high-stakes civil litigation cases arising from serious motor vehicle accidents and premises liability cases.
  • Prepared corporate designees in civil litigation cases arising from serious motor vehicle accidents and premises liability cases.
  • Conducted cross-examination of a fact witness during a contested sanctions hearing at the Court’s request.
  • Successfully argued discovery motions and dispositive motions, including motions to strike, motions for a protective order, and motions for summary judgment in personal injury cases.
  • Developed and executed a discovery and dispositive-motion strategy in an automobile liability matter where video evidence demonstrated significant inconsistencies in the plaintiff’s account of the accident, resulting in a favorable pretrial resolution for the insurer.

Honors

Professional Affiliations

  • Philadelphia Bar Association, Young Lawyers Division — Executive Committee Member
  • National Bar Association, Women Lawyers Division, Philadelphia Chapter
  • The Barristers’ Association of Philadelphia
  • Pennsylvania Bar Association

Publications

  • “You Can’t Spend Your Way Into Standing: How Appeals Courts Are Narrowing FHA Claims,” New Jersey Law Journal, March 2026.
  • “From a Robert E. Slota Diversity Program Law Student to a Slota Attorney,” Montgomery Bar Association SideBar Magazine, November 2024.

Credentials

Credentials

Admitted to Practice

  • Pennsylvania
  • United States District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania
  • New Jersey
  • United States District Court, District of New Jersey

Education

  • Drexel University Thomas R. Kline School of Law, J.D.
  • Drexel University, B.A., Philosophy and Political Science

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