Joseph Ford

Lesley Russo is Of Counsel in the Charleston office of Bowles Rice and the leader of the Employee Benefits Group. She is a member of the firm’s Retirement Plan Investment Committee and also administers the firm’s retirement plans, overseeing all aspects of the firm’s qualified retirement plans. Ms. Russo has extensive experience in the qualified retirement and employee benefits area, representing numerous clients in all aspects of qualified and non-qualified retirement plan ...

Thomas M. Hancock is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Commercial Litigation and Product Liability Litigation - Defendants. Thomas M., who practices law in Huntington, West Virginia, has been recognized since 2020. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Thomas M. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

A member of DiTrapano Barrett DiPiero McGinley & Simmons, PLLC, Tim DiPiero spent six years (1977–1983) as an assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of West Virginia in Charleston, WV before entering private practice. Prior to his tenure with DiTrapano Barrett DiPiero McGinley & Simmons, PLLC, he was a Member of DiTrapano & Jackson which he joined in 1983, and also DiTrapano Barrett & DiPiero, PLLC. After graduating from the University of Notre Dame i...

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...

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 ...

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...

Amy J. Tawney is a partner in the Charleston office of Bowles Rice and a member of the firm’s Commercial and Financial Services Practice Group and the Financial Services Litigation Practice Group. Ms. Tawney focuses her practice on banking and mergers and acquisitions. Her banking practice involves advising clients on compliance with federal and state regulations, corporate governance issues, compliance with securities laws and drafting loan documentation for corporate loan transactions...

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...

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 ...

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...