MEMBERS OF FIRM
John C. Palmer IV (Member) born Charleston, West Virginia, March 6, 1945; admitted to bar, 1970, West Virginia. Education: University of Delaware (B.A., 1967); West Virginia University (J.D., 1970). Phi Delta Phi. Associate Editor, West Virginia Law Review, 1969-1970. Member: Defense Trial Counsel of West Virginia (President, 1991-1992; Member, Board of Governors, 1981-1984, 1988-1993). Practice Areas: Litigation.Email: John C. Palmer IV
Joseph S. Beeson (Assistant Managing Member) born Buckhannon, West Virginia, February 7, 1946; admitted to bar, 1974, West Virginia and U.S. District Court, Southern District of West Virginia; 1976, U.S. District Court, Northern District of West Virginia. Education: West Virginia Wesleyan College (A.B., cum laude, 1968); West Virginia University (J.D., 1974). Order of the Coif; Order of Barristers; Omicron Delta Kappa. Managing Editor, West Virginia Law Review, 1973-1974. Member: Kanawha County and West Virginia Bar Associations; West Virginia State Bar; Defense Research Institute; Defense Trial Counsel of West Virginia. Practice Areas: Litigation(100%).Email: Joseph S. Beeson
David K. Higgins (Member) born Oak Hill, West Virginia; admitted to bar, 1975, West Virginia; 1980, U.S. Supreme Court. Education: Washington and Lee University (B.A., 1970; J.D., 1975). Member: Charleston (WV) City Council; West Virginia House of Delegates, 2008. Trustee, Craik-Patton House, Inc. Director, WV Alzheimers Association. Chairman, Thunder in the Mountains, Inc. Author: "Asset Protection - An Ounce of Prevention Is Worth a Pound of Cure"; "Second Marriage Estate Planning". Member: Kanawha County Bar Association; West Virginia State Bar. [With U.S. Army, 1970-1972]. Practice Areas: Corporate; Banks and Banking; Taxation; Trusts and Estates; Wills.Email: David K. Higgins
Joseph M. Price (Member) born Worcester, Massachusetts, December 10, 1945; admitted to bar, 1978, West Virginia. Education: Nichols College (B.B.A., 1967); West Virginia University (J.D., 1978). Managing Editor, West Virginia Law Review, 1977-1978. Adjunct Professor, Labor Law, Marshall University Graduate College. Member: Kanawha County and American Bar Associations; West Virginia State Bar (Member, Employment Law Committee); Society for Human Resource Management; West Virginia Law Institute; West Virginia Chamber of Commerce (Member, Human Resources Committee); American Bar Association (Member, Labor & Employment Section, Sports & Entertainment Section). Practice Areas: Labor and Employment Law(70%); Litigation(30%).Email: Joseph M. Price
Timothy M. Miller (Member) born Morgantown, West Virginia, March 22, 1955; admitted to bar, 1980, West Virginia; U.S. District Court, Northern and Southern Districts of West Virginia and U.S. Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit. Education: West Virginia University (B.S. in Business Management, 1977; J.D., 1980). Listed in: The Best Lawyers in America, Oil and Gas Law, 2007-2008; West Virginia Super Lawyers, Law & Politics, 2007, Oil & Gas Law, Civil Defense Litigation, 2008. Member: Kanawha County and American Bar Associations; West Virginia State Bar; Defense Trial Counsel of West Virginia; Energy & Mineral Law Foundation (Executive Committee); Defense Research Institute; Defense Trial Counsel of America. Practice Areas: Litigation; Corporate; Corporate Litigation; Defense Litigation; Complex Litigation; Energy.Email: Timothy M. Miller
William C. Porth, Jr. (Member) born Oceanside, New York, December 31, 1953; admitted to bar, 1981, West Virginia. Education: Washington & Lee University (B.A., summa cum laude, 1978); Harvard University (J.D., 1981). Phi Beta Kappa.Email: William C. Porth, Jr.
Lynn A. Smith (Member) born Newton, New Jersey, August 9, 1953; admitted to bar, 1981, West Virginia. Education: The Ohio State University (B.S., 1975; J.D., 1981). Practice Areas: Corporate Law; Commercial Law; Contracts; Banks and Banking; Business Law.Email: Lynn A. Smith
Douglas C. McElwee (Member) born Charleston, West Virginia, April 23, 1958; admitted to bar, 1983, West Virginia. Education: Hampden-Sydney College (B.A., 1980); West Virginia University (J.D., 1983). Practice Areas: Bankruptcy; Corporate; Energy/Environment; Real Estate.Email: Douglas C. McElwee
David L. Yaussy (Member) born Wooster, Ohio, July 3, 1959; admitted to bar, 1984, West Virginia; 1985, Ohio. Education: Otterbein College (B.A., with honors, 1981); The Ohio State University (J.D., 1984). Practice Areas: Environmental Law; Litigation.Email: David L. Yaussy
Robert E. Lannan II (Member) born Wheeling, West Virginia, January 31, 1960; admitted to bar, 1985, West Virginia; U.S. District Court, Northern and Southern Districts of West Virginia; West Virginia Surpreme Court of Appeals; U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Education: West Virginia University (B.A., History, magna cum laude, 1982; J.D., 1985); Wheeling Jesuit University (M.A.A.T., 2002). Phi Alpha Theta; Phi Delta Phi. West Virginia Law Review, Student Works Editor. Journal of College and University Law, Staff. The Nature Conservancy in West Virginia, Member, Board of Trustees. West Virginia Environmental Institute, Member, Board. Listed in The Best Lawyers in America, Environmental Law 2006, 2007. Publications and Presentations: "Alternative Dispute Resolution in the "Mineral Patch" - Alternatives to Litigating the Environmental Claim," 19 E. Min. L. Inst. ch. 7 (1998); "The Ever-Expanding Scope of Liability Under CERCLA § 107(a)(3): Is An End in Sight?" 19 N. Ky. L. Rev. (1992); "Criminal Liability for Environmental Law Violations by Coal Operators," 93 W.Va. L. Rev. 599 (1991); "Hazardous Waste - The Oil and Gas Exception," 89 W.Va. L. Rev. 1089 (1987); "Regulation of Oil and Natural Gas Exploration, Development and Production Wastes Under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act," 8 E. Min. L. Inst. ch. 17-1 (1987); "Immigration and Naturalization Service v. Chadha: The Legislative Veto Declared Unconstitutional," 86 W.Va. L. Rev. 461 (1983). Member: West Virginia State Bar (Member, Environmental Law Committee). Practice Areas: Environmental Law; Natural Resources Law; Litigation; Alternative Dispute Resolution.Email: Robert E. Lannan II
Richard W. Gallagher (Member) (Clarksburg, West Virginia Office).
Kent J. George (Managing Member) born Morgantown, West Virginia, March 12, 1960; admitted to bar, 1987, West Virginia and U.S. District Court, Southern District of West Virginia; 1989, U.S. Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit; 1995, U.S. Supreme Court; 1998, U.S. Court of Federal Claims; 2002, U.S. Court of Appeals, Federal Circuit. Education: Swarthmore College (B.A., 1982); Oxford University, University College, England (B.A., M.A. Law, 1985); University of Chicago (J.D., 1987). Member: West Virginia Bar Association. Reported Cases: West Virginia Dept. of Transp., Div. of highways v. Robertson, 217 W.Va. 497, 618 S.E.2d 506 (2005); Ridge Line, Inc. v. U.S., 346 F.3d 1346 Envtl. L. Rep. 20,003, Fed.Cir. (2003); Rashid v. Schenck Const. Co., Inc., 843 F. Supp 1081, S.D.W.Va. (1993). Practice Areas: Corporate; Real Estate; Litigation; Alcohol Beverage; Medicare Fraud and Abuse; Eminent Domain.Email: Kent J. George
David S. Russo (Member) born Waltham, Massachusetts, October 9, 1961; admitted to bar, 1988, West Virginia. Education: Bowdoin College (B.A., 1983); Oxford University, Corpus Christi College, Oxford, England (B.A., M.A., 1986). Practice Areas: Labor and Employment.Email: David S. Russo
Keith J. George (Member) born Morgantown, West Virginia, July 14, 1961; admitted to bar, 1989, West Virginia. Education: Bowdoin College (B.A., 1983); Oxford University, Merton College, England (B.A., M.A., 1986); Emory University (LL.M., 1988). Special Assistant Attorney General, 1992-1993. Practice Areas: Litigation.Email: Keith J. George
Jeffrey A. Kimble (Member) (Clarksburg, West Virginia Office).
Stephen F. Gandee (Member) (Clarksburg, West Virginia Office).
Edward J. George (Member) born West Virginia; admitted to bar, 1990, West Virginia. Education: St. Paul's School, Concord, New Hampshire; Oxford University, England (B.A., M.A., with honors in law, 1990). Fellow, American Inns of Court. Member: West Virginia State Bar. Languages: German, Italian, Spanish, French, Mandarin and Afrikans. Practice Areas: Environmental; Public Utility; Occupational Safety and Health; Alcohol Beverage; Legalized Gaming; Real Estate; Legislative; Government Relations.Email: Edward J. George
Paul G. Papadopoulos (Member) born Providence, Rhode Island, December 8, 1965; admitted to bar, 1990, West Virginia; 1996, North Carolina. Education: Davidson College (A.B., 1987); University of North Carolina (J.D., 1990). Omicron Delta Epsilon. Member, North Carolina Journal of International Law & Commercial Regulation. Practice Areas: Corporate Law; Commercial Law; Contracts; Taxation; Nonprofit and Charitable Organizations; Trademarks; Commercial Collections.Email: Paul G. Papadopoulos
Michael A. Kawash (Member) born Charleston, West Virginia, October 31, 1963; admitted to bar, 1989, West Virginia; U.S. Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit and U.S. District Court, Southern District of West Virginia. Education: University of Charleston (B.S., cum laude, 1985); Cleveland-Marshall College of Law (J.D., 1988). Alpha Lambda Delta; Phi Alpha Delta. Law Clerk to Justice Thomas E. McHugh, West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals, 1988-1993. President, St. Thomas More Catholic Lawyers Society, 1999-2001; Chairman, Kanawha County Republican Executive Committee; Society for American Baseball Research. Practice Areas: Labor and Employment; Workers Compensation; Unemployment Compensation; Litigation.Email: Michael A. Kawash
M. David Griffith, Jr. (Member) born Morgantown, West Virginia, November 9, 1972; admitted to bar, 1998, West Virginia; U.S. District Court, Northern and Southern Districts of West Virginia; U.S. Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit. Education: The Pennsylvania State University (B.A., 1995); West Virginia University College of Law (J.D., 1998). Member: West Virginia State Bar; Kanawha County and West Virginia Bar Associations; Defense Trial Counsel of West Virginia; Defense Research Institute. Practice Areas: Litigation; Consumer Finance.Email: M. David Griffith, Jr.
Charles F.W. Saffer (Member) born Marlinton, West Virginia, November 25, 1973; admitted to bar, 1998, West Virginia. Education: West Virginia University (B.A., cum laude, 1995; J.D., 1998). University Honors Scholar. Order of the Coif. Staff Member, West Virginia Law Review, 1997-1998. Practice Areas: Corporate; Real Estate; Litigation.Email: Charles F.W. Saffer
Christopher L. Hamb (Member) admitted to bar, 1995, West Virginia; U.S. District Court, Southern District of West Virginia. Education: Hobart College (B.A., 1991); Vermont Law School (J.D., 1995). Member: West Virginia State Bar. Practice Areas: Litigation; Civil Litigation.Email: Christopher L. Hamb
ASSOCIATES
Stephen B. Stockton (Associate) born Columbus, Indiana, January 29, 1958; admitted to bar, 1986, Virginia; 1988, District of Columbia; 1993, West Virginia. Education: Indiana University (B.A., Economics and Telecommunications, 1983); Washington & Lee University (J.D., 1986); College of William & Mary (LL.M., Taxation, 1988); West Virginia University (Executive M.B.A., 1998). Contributor, Washington & Lee Law Review, 1984-1985. Law Clerk to the Honorable Perry Shields, United States Tax Court, 1988-1990. Speaker, West Virginia Tax Institute, 1995-1999, 2000-2005. Member, Academy of Legal Studies in Business. Member: West Virginia State Bar; Virginia State Bar; The District of Columbia Bar. Practice Areas: State Taxation; Local Taxation; Appellate Practice; Tax Controversies; Federal Tax Controversies; Property Tax Appeals; State Tax Controversies; Tax Appeals; Tax Litigation.Email: Stephen B. Stockton
Marsha Williams Kauffman (Associate) born Spring Hill, West Virginia, 1970; admitted to bar, 1995, West Virginia; U.S. District Court, Southern and Northern Districts of West Virginia. Education: University of Charleston (B.A., 1992); West Virginia University (J.D., 1995). Member: West Virginia State Bar. Practice Areas: Public Utility Law; Environmental Law.Email: Marsha Williams Kauffman
Riley J. Romeo, Jr. (Associate) born Charleston, West Virginia, June 23, 1970; admitted to bar, 1996, West Virginia and U.S. District Court, Southern District of West Virginia. Education: West Virginia University (B.A., 1992, J.D., 1995). Former Supervising Attorney, Bureau of Employment Programs, Legal Services Division, Litigation Unit. Former Assistant Attorney General, Office of the Attorney General, Employment Programs Litigation Unit. Member: West Virginia State Bar. Reported Cases: Expedited Transportation Systems, Inc. v. Vieweg, 529 SE.2d 110 (W.Va. 2000). Practice Areas: Civil Litigation; Insurance Defense.Email: Riley J. Romeo, Jr.
Anne C. Blankenship (Associate) born Staunton, Virginia, July 16, 1974; admitted to bar, 2002, West Virginia. Education: Marshall University (B.S., 1997, M.S., 2005); Capital University Law School (J.D., 2002). Order of Barristers. Member: Kanawha County Bar Association; West Virginia State Bar. Practice Areas: Environmental Law; Energy.Email: Anne C. Blankenship
John J. Meadows (Associate) born Augusta, Georgia, July 29, 1973; admitted to bar, 2003, West Virginia; 2003, U.S. District Court, Northern and Southern Districts of West Virginia; 2003, U.S. Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit. Education: Hampden-Sydney College (B.A., Political Science, 1994); Augusta State University (B.A., History, 1996; M.P.A., 1998); University of Richmond (J.D., 2003). Phi Alpha Delta. Member, John A. Field, Jr. American Inn of Court. Member: West Virginia State Bar. Languages: French. Practice Areas: Litigation(90%); Energy Law(5%); Environmental Law(5%).Email: John J. Meadows
Mary E. Snead (Associate) (Clarksburg, West Virginia Office).
Mark J. Grigoraci (Associate) born Charleston, West Virginia, October 26, 1978; admitted to bar, 2004, West Virginia and U.S. District Court, Southern District of West Virginia. Education: Marshall University (B.S., 2000); Cleveland-Marshall College of Law (J.D., 2003). Member: West Virginia State Bar. Practice Areas: Workers Compensation(100%).Email: Mark J. Grigoraci
William D. Marcum (Associate) born Logan, West Virginia; admitted to bar, 2006, West Virginia; 2007, District of Columbia; U.S. District Court, Southern District of West Virginia; West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals; District of Columbia Court of Appeals. Education: Marshall University (B.A., Psychology, 2002); West Virginia University (J.D., 2005; M.B.A., 2005). Member: West Virginia State Bar; The District of Columbia Bar; American Bar Association. [United States Navy, 1996-2000. Recipient of Armed Forces Service Medal; Expert Marksman Medal; Navy Good Conduct Medal; Letter of Commendation for humanitarian services performed in Eastern Europe]. Practice Areas: Corporate Law; Real Estate.Email: William D. Marcum
Craig S. Beeson (Associate) born Charleston, West Virginia, 1976; admitted to bar, 2008, West Virginia and U.S. District Court, Southern District of West Virginia. Education: Washington & Jefferson College (B.A., Business Administration; B.A., Psychology); West Virginia University College of Law (J.D., 2008). Member: Kanawha County Bar Association; West Virginia State Bar; Energy and Mineral Law Foundation. Practice Areas: Litigation.Email: Craig S. Beeson
Benjamin W. Price (Associate) born Charleston, West Virginia, 1982; admitted to bar, 2009, West Virginia; Supreme Court of Appeals; U.S. District Court, Southern District of West Virginia. Education: The Ohio State University (B.A., Political Science; B.A., Psychology); West Virginia University College of Law (J.D., 2008). Member: West Virginia State Bar; Sports Lawyers Association. Languages: Spanish. Practice Areas: Litigation; Labor and Employment.Email: Benjamin W. Price
OF COUNSEL
William E. Hamb (Of Counsel) born Accoville, West Virginia, June 18, 1935; admitted to bar, 1960, West Virginia. Education: West Virginia University (B.S., 1957; LL.B., 1960). Member: Kanawha County and American Bar Associations; West Virginia State Bar; American Judicature Society. Practice Areas: Banking Law; Civil Litigation; Corporate Law.
Robert Peter George (Of Counsel) born Morgantown, West Virginia, July 10, 1955; admitted to bar, 1987, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. (Not admitted in West Virginia). Education: Swarthmore College (B.A., 1977); Harvard University (J.D., 1981); Oxford University, New College, England (D.Phil., 1986). Phi Beta Kappa. Judicial Fellow, Supreme Court of the United States, 1989-1990. Author: "Making Men Moral," (O.U.P., 1993); "In Defense of Natural Law," (O.U.P., 1999). Presidential Appointee, United States Commission on Civil Rights, 1993-1999.
Mark H. Hayes (Of Counsel) born Marion, Indiana, September 8, 1960; admitted to bar, 1986, West Virginia. Education: Taylor University; Marshall University (B.A., 1983); West Virginia University (J.D., 1986). Practice Areas: Litigation.Email: Mark H. Hayes
Beth Ann Rauer (Of Counsel) born Fairmont, West Virginia, June 29, 1966; admitted to bar, 1995, West Virginia; U.S. District Court, Southern and Northern Districts of West Virginia. Education: Indiana University (B.A., 1988); West Virginia University (M.A., 1995; J.D., 1995). Member: Kanawha County Bar Association; West Virginia State Bar; West Virginia Defense Trial Counsel; Defense Research Institute. Practice Areas: Silica Litigation; Asbestos Litigation; Toxic Torts; Litigation; Products Liability.Email: Beth Ann Rauer
W. Bradley Sorrells (Of Counsel) born Washington, D.C., June 18, 1958; admitted to bar, 1988, West Virginia; U.S. District Court, Southern and Northern Districts of West Virginia; U.S. Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit. Education: Old Dominion University (B.A., Economics, 1985); West Virginia University (J.D., 1988). Member: Kanawha County and West Virginia Bar Associations; West Virginia State Bar; Defense Trial Counsel of West Virginia. [With U.S. Marine Corps]. Practice Areas: Litigation; Bankruptcy; Consumer Credit; Commercial Litigation.Email: W. Bradley Sorrells
Allen R. Prunty (Of Counsel) born Fairmont, West Virginia, October 25, 1955; admitted to bar, 1980, West Virginia and U.S. District Court, Southern District of West Virginia; 1981, U.S. Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit; 1983, U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit; 1987, U.S. Court of Appeals, Third and Eighth Circuits and U.S. Supreme Court; 2005, New York. Education: West Virginia University (B.A., Political Science, magna cum laude, 1977; J.D., 1980). Phi Beta Kappa; Pi Sigma Alpha. Member, Moot Court Board, West Virginia University College of Law, 1978-1980. Member, West Virginia Law Review, 1979-1980. Recipient, Alumnus of the Year Award, West Virginia Law Review, 1990. Co-Author: "The Federal Black Lung Program: Its Evolution & Current Issues," 91 W. Va. L. Rev. 665, 1989; "Federal Black Lung Update," 92 W. Va. L. Rev. 849, 1990. Author: "Workers Compensation Reform in West Virginia," Proceedings of the 23rd Annual Conference on Mineral Law, Eastern Mineral Law Foundation, 1998. Instructor, Legal Research and Writing, University of Charleston, WV, 1991-1999. Member: West Virginia State Bar; New York State Bar Association. Practice Areas: Civil Litigation; Complex Litigation; Occupational Injury and Disease; Appellate Practice.Email: Allen R. Prunty
Donald L. Stennett (Of Counsel) born Iowa City, Iowa, April 6, 1959; admitted to bar, 1984, West Virginia and U.S. District Court, Southern District of West Virginia; 1985, U.S. Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit; 2004, U.S. District Court, Northern District of West Virginia and U.S. Supreme Court. Education: Concord College (B.A., 1981); West Virginia University (J.D., 1984). Member: Order of the Barristers; Assistant United States Attorney, 1991-1995. Member: Kanawha County Bar Association (Member, Executive Board, 1995); The West Virginia State Bar; Defense Trial Counsel of West Virginia. Practice Areas: Litigation; Trial Practice; Insurance Defense; Insurance Bad Faith Defense; Labor and Employment; Federal Criminal Law; Health Care Fraud; White Collar Criminal Defense.Email: Donald L. Stennett