J. Ben Shepard

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...

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...

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...

Emily Lambright focuses her practice on federal taxation, employee benefits and qualified retirement plans, estate and gift tax planning, and tax-exempt organizations and nonprofit law. She is a certified public accountant. Emily represents individuals and businesses by counseling them on income and estate tax issues, business succession planning, entity formation and selection, and transactional tax matters. She also provides guidance on benefits matters and executive compensation to clients...

Grant Shuman focuses his practice in ERISA and employee benefit law, representing welfare benefit and pension plans, plan sponsors, and plan administrators in matters involving plan operation from design and plan drafting to compliance issues and termination. He practices from the Charleston, West Virginia office. With nearly 25 years of experience, Grant has provided trusted counsel to clients ranging from small businesses to Fortune 500 companies. He has represented plans and plan sponsors ...

Steven R. Hardman is a partner in the Parkersburg office and a member of the Real Estate Group. He concentrates his practice on commercial, corporate, real estate, and oil and gas law and also has significant experience in civil litigation, particularly product liability and the defense of mass litigation. Mr. Hardman has served as counsel to numerous banks and businesses, and has been involved in significant commercial transactions and commercial litigation. For more than 10 years, he has re...

William Tiano is a lawyer recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice areas of Medical Malpractice Law - Plaintiffs, Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs and Product Liability Litigation - Plaintiffs. William practices law in Charleston, West Virginia Best Lawyers has recognized William Tiano since 2021. The Best Lawyers recognition is based on a peer-review survey of lawyers in the same geographic region and legal practice area. The recognition reflects the professional regard in which Wil...

Gordon C. Lane, Sr. concentrates his practice on representation of businesses and business owners in the areas of general business law and taxation, including the purchase or sale of a business, structure of a business to maximize tax savings and asset protection, key employee incentive plans, and more. Gordon practices from the firm’s Charleston, West Virginia office. He also provides estate planning for high net-worth individuals and for business owners, where he provides one integrat...

Rita Massie Biser is an experienced trial attorney and litigator. A Managing Member of the firm, she primarily practices in the areas of medical professional liability and personal injury defense. Ms. Biser has substantial experience defending hospitals, nursing homes and other health care providers in actions brought under West Virginia's Medical Professional Liability Act (MPLA). Her litigation and trial experience also includes personal injury defense, nursing home litiation, premises liab...

Anna Price focuses her practice in the areas of simple and complex estate planning, estate administration, tax, corporations, and probate litigation. Working with a variety of clients, Anna has developed the skillset and relationships to plan for and administer estates of all levels. She practices from the firm’s Charleston, West Virginia office. Anna’s motivation is to provide clients peace of mind by helping them complete a plan they understand and appreciate. She handles the ad...