Best's Recommended Insurance Attorneys
General Defense
The Farrell Building, 914 Fifth Avenue, Huntington, West Virginia 25701-2004
Established: 1995
Practice Areas
- Product Liability
- Medical Malpractice Defense
- Class Actions
- Health Care
- Business Litigation
- Legal Malpractice
- Insurance Coverage
- Bad Faith
- Employment Litigation
- Alternative Dispute Resolution
- Education Law
- Toxic Torts
- Appellate Advocacy
- Tort Liability
- Criminal Law
- Nursing Home Litigation
- Automobile Litigation
- Disciplinary Board Representation
- Privileges and Credentialing Disputes
- HIPAA Compliance
- False Claims Act (Qui Tam) Actions
- Occupational Safety & Health
- Mass Litigation Panel Litigation
- Fraud & Abuse
- Antitrust Litigation
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About Us
The skill and experience of our lawyers will match and exceed the performance capacity of much larger firms. Our clients know they will receive the highest quality representation in complex and difficult cases. Our Firm responds quickly and efficiently to the rapidly changing challenges confronting insurers, corporations and professionals. We believe in delivering quality representation with integrity and professionalism. We are committed to communication with our clients and developing ongoing relationships based on trust. We take pride in serving our clients, our communities and out system of justice.
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Insurance Clients
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Personnel Information
Managing Member
Michael J. Farrell
Huntington, WV
Admitted
- West Virginia, 1974
- Kentucky, 1989
Additional Biographical Details:
Ranked 3rd in State's Top 10 Best Lawyer in West Virginia by Super Lawyers; Band 1, 2018 Chambers USA; 2018, Best Lawyers; 2014 Lawyer of the Year Employment; 2012 Lawyer of the Year for "Bet the Company Litigation," West Virginia Super Lawyers; AV Rated, Martindale-Hubbell
Memberships:
- Litigation Counsel of America
- American College of Trial Lawyers
- International Association of Defense Counsel
Education:
- West Virginia University College of Law, J.D., 1974
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Members
Joseph M. Farrell, Jr.
Huntington, WV
Admitted
- West Virginia, 1980
- Kentucky, 2012
Additional Biographical Details:
Frequent CLE Lecturer regarding Medical Malpractice, Litigation and Trial Practice; Past President, Cabell County Board of Education; AV Rated, Martindale-Hubbell; West Virginia Super Lawyer
Memberships:
- West Virginia State Bar (Board of Governors, 1987-1992 and 2007-2010)
Education:
- West Virginia University College of Law, J.D., 1979
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Tamela J. White
Huntington, WV
Years of Experience: 23
Admitted
- West Virginia, 1993
- Ohio, 1994
- Kentucky, 1999
Additional Biographical Details:
Chambers USA; Best Lawyers in America; Martindale-Hubbell-AV Rated; West Virginia Super Lawyer (2010-Present); Marshall University Harless Foundation, Inductee for West Virginia Women's Education Forum (2015); Christy Kinsey Steward Award, Women's Philanthropy Association, Cabell Huntington Hospital (2016)
Memberships:
- International Association of Defense Counsel
- Litigation Counsel of America
Education:
- The Ohio State University, B.S.N., 1985
- Northern Kentucky University, Salmon P. Chase College of Law, J.D., 1993
- Johns Hopkins University, School of Hygiene and Public Health, M.P.H., 2011
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Erik W. Legg
Huntington, WV
Admitted
- West Virginia, 1998
- Ohio, 2005
- Kentucky, 2017
Additional Biographical Details:
Healthcare Litigation, Chambers USA; Products Liability, Medical Malpractice, Best Lawyers in America; AV Rated, Martindale-Hubbell; Personal Injury Defense - Products, West Virginia Super Lawyers
Memberships:
- Defense Trial Counsel of West Virginia (President)
- Defense Research Institute
- International Association of Defense Counsel
Education:
- West Virginia University College of Law, J.D., 1998
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Bernard S. Vallejos
Huntington, WV
Admitted
- West Virginia, 2005
- Kentucky, 2015
Additional Biographical Details:
Defense Trial Counsel of West Virginia - 2014 Young Lawyer of the Year; West Virginia Super Lawyers - Rising Star, Personal Injury Defense - Products; Martindale-Hubbell - Distinguished Attorney; 2016 Litigation: Commercial, Chambers USA; The State Journal - 2017 Generation Next: 40 Under 40 Winner
Education:
- Boston University School of Law, J.D., 2005
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Megan Farrell Woodyard
Huntington, WV
Admitted
Memberships:
- American, West Virginia and Cabell County Bar Associations
- Defense Research Institute
- Defense Trial Counsel of West Virginia
Education:
- Marshall University, B.A., History, 2005
- West Virginia University College of Law, J.D., 2009
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Samantha Thomas-Bush
Huntington, WV
Admitted
- West Virginia, 2011
- Kentucky, 2012
Education:
- Marshall University, B.J., 2006
- Marshall University, M.A.H., 2008
- Louis D. Brandeis School of Law, University of Louisville, J.D., 2011
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Associate Attorneys
Sara Chapman
Austin Lewis
James Ben Shepard
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