Laura E. Babiak

Education J.D., Brooklyn Law School (1986) Notes Editor, Brooklyn Law Review B.A., Yale University (1981) Bar Admissions West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals U.S. Court of Appeals of the 4th Circuit U.S. District Courts for the Northern and Southern Districts of West Virginia Affiliations American Bar Association West Virginia State Bar West Virginia Bar Association Kanawha County Bar Association West Virginia Bankers Association Chair, PIECES Advisory Council Co-Chair, George Washington Hi...

Benjamin Thomas focuses his practice in the areas of mergers and acquisitions and commercial and financial services. He is experienced in advising businesses on various structural matters related to acquisitions and entity formation and general corporate governance matters. Ben's merger and acquisition practice involves structuring, documenting, and managing mergers, acquisitions, reorganizations, and other corporate transactions. He also provides general corporate services to all sizes of bu...

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...

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...

Stuart A. McMillan is a partner in the Charleston office of Bowles Rice LLP and leader of the firm’s Mass & Toxic Torts Practice Group. His primary practice areas include civil trial and appellate litigation and he tries cases in both federal and state courts throughout West Virginia. He has tried numerous cases to verdict, including libel, defamation, trespass and bodily injury lawsuits. Mr. McMillan is experienced in and frequently lectures on issues pertaining to civil litigation...

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...

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...

Anna Melissa Price is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Elder Law, Litigation - Trusts and Estates and Trusts and Estates. Anna Melissa, 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 Anna Melissa is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Marc Monteleone is the Managing Partner of Bowles Rice, acting as the firm’s CEO. His responsibilities include leadership, management and administration of the firm. Marc’s legal practice includes federal and state taxation, mergers and acquisitions, oil and gas law, construction law, commercial law and real estate development. He also serves as the chairman of the firm’s Small Business Development Team, which assists small businesses in all matters, from formation through d...

Area of Emphasis Timothy Miller is a shareholder in the Energy and Natural Resources and Litigation groups of Babst Calland. Mr. Miller is primarily involved in general civil litigation and has tried more than 30 significant cases to jury trial conclusion in the federal courts in both the Northern and Southern Districts of West Virginia, and numerous state courts. He has significant experience with complex litigation before the West Virginia Mass Litigation Panel and the Supreme Court of Appe...