John C. Palmer IV

Area of Emphasis Jennifer Hicks is a shareholder in the Litigation, Energy and Natural Resources, Employment and Labor, and Environmental groups of Babst Calland. Ms. Hicks has represented clients in a wide variety of litigation matters in state and federal courts throughout West Virginia. These include complex class actions, breach of contract, coal and natural gas royalty disputes, lease termination disputes, condemnation, employment, nuisance, trespass, property damage, premises liability,...

Howard Seufer, Jr. has spent his professional life working with public school leaders to solve public school problems and improve public education in compliance with state and federal school laws. A partner in the regional commercial, energy and defense law firm of Bowles Rice LLP headquartered in Charleston, West Virginia, Howard has advised and represented all 55 of West Virginia’s county boards of education, all of its regional education service agencies, the West Virginia School Boa...

S. Brooks West II is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs. S. Brooks, who practices law in Charleston, West Virginia, has been recognized since 2024. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which S. Brooks is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

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...

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...

Marvin W. Masters has a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from West Virginia University and a Law degree from West Virginia University. He is licensed and has presented cases to the West Virginia Supreme Court, most West Virginia circuit courts in the surrounding counties, and the United States Supreme Court, as well as the United States Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals and United States District Court for the Southern and Northern Districts of West Virginia. He is experienced in litiga...

Tom Lane is a partner in the Charleston, West Virginia office of Bowles Rice and is licensed to practice law in West Virginia and Pennsylvania. He practices primarily in the areas of natural resources, coal, oil and gas, commercial real estate, zoning and land development This practice ranges from complex transactions of mineral property and companies to complex litigation of natural resource issues. He also engages in lobbying and government relations, particularly on issues affecting the mi...

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 Ramonda Marling is a shareholder in the Energy and Natural Resources and Litigation groups of Babst Calland. Ms. Marling primarily represents clients in litigation and commercial matters. She has extensive experience in complex, high-dollar commercial litigation matters representing natural gas producers, midstream companies, coal companies, pharmaceutical manufacturers, tobacco companies and other corporations. She has represented natural gas producers in litigation involvin...

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...