Admitted
1977, West Virginia, U.S. District Court, Northern and Southern Districts of West Virginia and U.S. Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit
Law School
University of Virginia, J.D., 1977
Law School Graduation Year
1977
College
Ohio University and West Virginia University, A.B., with high honors, 1969
Memberships
Kanawha County, West Virginia and American (Member, Litigation Section) Bar Associations; West Virginia State Bar (Member: Ad Hoc Committee on Laws for Young Mountaineers, 1978-1979; Law Education Project Planning Committee, 1980-1982; Committee on Lawyer Specialization, 1981; Committee on Judicial Improvement, 1982-1989; Vice Chairman, 1984-1985; Chairman, 1985-1989; Chairman, Subcommittee on Judicial Qualification Evaluation Poll, 1982-designed poll, 1984, and 1988; Member: Committee on Bar Associations, 1984-1987; Ad Hoc Committee on Scheduling, 1986-1987; Committee on Professionalism, 1987-1995; Board of Governors, 1990-1993; Ad Hoc Committee on Judicial Selection, 1991-1994; Board Member, West Virginia Bar Foundation, 2001—); American Judicature Society; Defense Trial Counsel of West Virginia (Founding Member; Treasurer, 1981-1984; Vice President, 1984-1985; President, 1985-1986; Member, Board of Governors, 1983-1989); American Board of Trial Advocates (Vice-President, WV Chapter, 2001—); International Association of Defense Counsel; Fourth Circuit Judicial Conference (Permanent Member)
Biographical
Phi Beta Kappa; Order of the Coif. Research and Projects Editor, Virginia Law Review, 1976-1977. Author: Comparative Negligence in West Virginia: A Defense Overview, West Virginia Law Review, 1980; Mandolidis-A Debate Between Plaintiff and Defense, West Virginia State Bar Journal, 1984. Co-Author: Settlement Week Pilot Project Summary and Final Report: Some Thoughts on How to Conduct a Settlement Week, The West Virginia Lawyer, 1989; Professional Liability of Non-Legal Consultants to Minerals Industry, Proceedings of the Eastern Mineral Law Foundation Eleventh Annual Institute, 1990. Member: West Virginia University Alumni Association; University of Virginia Alumni Association. Staff Counsel, West Virginia Senate Judiciary Committee, 1979. Co-Chairman with Chief Judge Robert E. Maxwel, Settlement Week Pilot Project (Member, Steering Committee, 1987). Mediator, United States District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia, 1987—. Member, 1989-1993 and Chairman 1991-1993, Visiting Committee, West Virginia University College of Law. Member, West Virginia Law Institute, 1989-2003. Member: West Virginia Task Force on Gender Fairness in the Courts, 1993-1997; Implementation Committee, 1997—. Co-Drafter Subcommittee, Local Rules of the United States District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia, 1994. Chair, Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia Civil Rules Committee, 1995-1998. Member, West Virginia Public Defender Service Indigent Task Force, 1999. Member, Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia Committee on Pattern Jury Instructions, 2000. Fellow: American College of Trial Lawyers (WV State Chair, 2001-2003); American Bar Foundation.
Military
USAF, 1969-1974 and West Virginia Air National Guard, 1977-1993; rank, Lt. Col. (Retired)