Karen McElhinny

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.

Gabriele Wohl is an experienced litigator in the firm’s Charleston, West Virginia office, regularly handling complex civil litigation for national corporations. In addition to her practicing in the Litigation Group, she leads the White Collar Defense and Investigations team and chairs the Bowles Rice Diversity Committee. Gabe keeps in close contact with her clients and enjoys helping them navigate stressful and intricate legal issues. In her litigation practice, Gabe has years of experi...

Matt Kingery is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Commercial Finance Law, Commercial Transactions / UCC Law, Project Finance Law and Real Estate Law. Matt, 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 Matt is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

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...

Peter G. Markham provides general counsel and civil litigation services to businesses, health care providers and insurers, and public officials and state agencies. Clients requiring government relations assistance benefit from Peter’s substantial experience in state government. From 2012 to 2017, Peter served as General Counsel to former West Virginia Governor Earl Ray Tomblin. Peter leads the firm’s Broadband and Appellate Advocacy practice teams. Recent victories include: IPI, I...

Kendra L. Huff is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Litigation - Banking and Finance. Kendra L., who practices law in Huntington, West Virginia, has been recognized since 2021. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Kendra L. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

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...

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...

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,...

Ellen L. Maxwell-Hoffman is a partner in the Charleston office of Bowles Rice. She concentrates her practice in the areas of general corporate and commercial law, including acquisitions and finance, corporate governance, compliance programs and training, business ethics and economic development. She frequently provides legal counsel regarding the West Virginia Governmental Ethics Act, federal and state election law, in particular as to the administration and operation of political action comm...