Ellen S. Cappellanti

For more than twenty years, Lonnie C. Simmons has fought on behalf of the little guys, ensuring they get their day in court. He started his legal career as a writ clerk at the West Virginia Supreme Court in 1982, before spending five years as a personal clerk for West Virginia Supreme Court Justice Thomas B. Miller. After completing his tenure with Justice Miller, Mr. Simmons began his career as a litigator representing injured plaintiffs. A significant portion of Mr. Simmons' caseload involv...

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...

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...

David A. Mohler has actively been trying personal injury cases for the past 30 years, with more than 200 jury trials completed to verdict winning 90 percent. Mr. Mohler practices in Charleston, West Virginia, but has appeared in most every county in the state except Hampshire and Hardy Counties. He also handles the appellate work on his cases and has at least seven West Virginia Supreme Court cases reported in his favor. He has tried cases involving workplace injury, trucking accidents, well ...

Diana L. Jacobs is a partner in the Charleston office of Bowles Rice and focuses her practice on litigation, with an emphasis on toxic tort litigation, products liability, premises liability, class actions and asbestos litigation. She also has experience defending medical monitoring claims. Prior to joining the firm, she was Assistant Prosecutor with the Kanawha County Prosecutor’s Office, and also served three years in private practice. Ms. Jacobs received her bachelor of arts degree i...

Robert M. Bastress III is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Employment Law - Individuals and Litigation - Labor and Employment. Robert M., who practices law in Charleston, West Virginia, has been recognized since 2018. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Robert M. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Areas of Emphasis Charles Saffer is senior counsel in the Energy and Natural Resources and Corporate and Commercial groups of Babst Calland. His practice is focused on real estate and mineral title matters for corporate clients within the commercial and oil and gas industries. He has experience in examining and certifying mineral titles in counties throughout West Virginia. Mr. Saffer has also represented property owners in commercial real estate transactions including leasing, acquisitions a...

Corey Palumbo concentrates his practice in energy litigation, deliberate intent and general civil litigation. He has successfully tried several cases to verdict, including deliberate intent and other personal injury matters. In addition to his litigation work, Corey is a member of the firm's Alternative Dispute Resolution team. His years of experience searching for the middle ground as a public servant and advocating for clients make him uniquely qualified to handle meditations in multiple ar...

Aaron C. Boone is a partner in the Parkersburg office at Bowles Rice and leads the firm's Insurance Defense Group. He is a trial lawyer who concentrates his practice in the areas of extra-contractual/coverage, liability claims, business disputes, and trust & estate litigation. Mr. Boone received his J.D. in 2002 from the West Virginia University College of Law, where he was a member of the Order of Barristers, the National Moot Court Team and the Marilyn E. Lugar Trial Association. He ear...

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 ...