Chelsea Thompson

William Tiano is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Medical Malpractice Law - Plaintiffs, Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs and Product Liability Litigation - Plaintiffs. William, who practices law in Charleston, West Virginia, has been recognized since 2021. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which William is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Ben Salango is a founding member of Salango Law, PLLC. He has over twenty three years of experience in personal injury litigation and has tried more than 50 civil jury trials in West Virginia. Mr. Salango has argued numerous cases in the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals and the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. He has proudly recovered tens of millions of dollars for victims of medical malpractice, personal injury, and wrongful death. His cases have been featured na...

After practicing law for nearly 20 years in New Jersey and New York, Melissa “Missy” Luce returned to West Virginia to join Stuart Calwell’s firm, The Calwell Practice, LC. After serving as Managing Attorney for several years, in January 2019, Calwell ultimately joined together with Luce and another colleague, Dante’ diTrapano, as partners in rebranding the firm to Calwell Luce diTrapano PLLC to solidify its long-term growth. And Missy continues in her role as Managing...

Roger G. Hanshaw concentrates his legal practice on the environmental and technical issues that arise in business transactions, as well as regulatory compliance matters and litigation for a diverse client base. He holds a Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of Notre Dame. This advanced science degree is critical in representing clients in the science driven field of environmental law. Roger is a certified professional parliamentarian and regularly counsels government bodies and nonprofit o...

Tom Heywood has significant experience in health care, banking and corporate/commercial law, and is frequently called upon by clients and community leaders for advice on business matters related to acquisitions, divestitures and other transactional matters. An experienced facilitator, he regularly assists businesses and organizations in the strategic planning process. As a former Chief of Staff to the Honorable Gaston Caperton, Governor of the State of West Virginia, Tom has extensive experie...

Area of Emphasis Matt Casto is a shareholder in the Energy and Natural Resources and Litigation groups of Babst Calland. His practice is focused on energy and real property matters, including the oil and gas industry with an emphasis on commercial, administrative and general litigation. Mr. Casto represents clients in connection with contract and lease disputes, pipeline litigation, toxic torts and energy and mineral law matters including, but not limited to, surface disputes, royalty, leasin...

Richard "Richie" Heath, Jr. concentrates his practice in the area of government relations and serves as leader of the firm's Government Relations team. Richie's practice also includes work in the hospitality, gaming and tourism industry, industrial hemp and medical cannabis fields, as well as the state's burgeoning renewable energy industry. Prior to joining the firm, he was Chief Legal Counsel and Chief of Staff for West Virginia Senate Presidents Mitch B. Carmichael and William P. Cole. He ...

D. C. Offutt, Jr. is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Medical Malpractice Law - Defendants and Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants. D. C., who practices law in Huntington, West Virginia, has been recognized since 2005. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which D. C. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Area of Emphasis Mychal Schulz is a shareholder in the Litigation, Employment & Labor Services, and Energy & Natural Resources groups of Babst Calland. Mr. Schulz has extensive experience litigating matters in state and federal courts throughout West Virginia. He has been lead trial counsel in both state and federal courts on a variety of matters, including employment, premises liability, insurance bad faith and coverage, commercial, officers and directors liability, ERISA, product li...

Benjamin Thomas focuses his practice in the areas of mergers and acquisitions and commercial and financial services. He is experienced in advising businesses on various structural matters related to acquisitions and entity formation and general corporate governance matters. Ben's merger and acquisition practice involves structuring, documenting, and managing mergers, acquisitions, reorganizations, and other corporate transactions. He also provides general corporate services to all sizes of bu...