WVAJ 67th Annual Convention and Seminar
June 5 - 6, 2025
Seminar Faculty
Judge Stephanie Abraham
Judge Stephanie Abraham was appointed to Kanawha County’s 8th Circuit Court in 2023, and she was elected to a full term in May 2024. She presides over the Kanawha County Juvenile Treatment Court and is a member of the state’s mass litigation panel. At the time of her appointment to the bench, Judge Abraham had a solo practice that specialized in real estate and property law. Her experience also included serving as general counsel and staff attorney for the West Virginia Department of Education and she worked as a court clerk in Logan County. Judge Abraham was an instructor and board member of the Southern West Virginia Community and Technical College. She is a graduate of Syracuse University and earned her J. D. from the University of Maryland Baltimore School of Law. She is a member of the West Virginia Judicial Association’s Legislative Committee.
Lori Andrus
Lori Andrus is the 2024 – 2025 president of the American Association for Justice and one of the leading attorneys practicing in America today. She is a founding partner of the San Francisco law firm Andrus Anderson with a practice that specializes in class actions and complex litigation in several different areas including products liability, employment law, corporate fraud and discrimination, and other personal injury claims. She was a finalist for the California Consumer Attorney of the Year award after negotiating a settlement with Farmers Insurance on behalf of its female attorney employees who were being paid less than their male counterparts for the same work. Lori is a past chair of AAJ’s Women’s Trial Lawyer Caucus and serves as a board member of the Consumer Attorneys of California. She is a graduate of Boston University and earned her J. D. from the Duke University School of Law.
Judge Anita Ashley
Judge Anita Ashley was first elected to the bench in 2016 to a new seat in the 5th Circuit Court, which is comprised of Roane, Calhoun, Jackson and Mason counties; she was re-elected to the seat in May 2024. She presides over the Roane-Calhoun Drug Court and the Roane-Calhoun Family Treatment Court. She is a past president of the West Virginia Judicial Association. Ashley was a family law master for Calhoun, Roane, and Jackson counties from 1986 to 1999. He private law practice included a special focus on family law. Judge Ashley is graduate of Glenville State College and earned her J. D. from the West Virginia University College of Law. In 2022 she was named Judge of the Year by West Virginia Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children, a volunteer organization that assists in cases involving abused and neglected children.
Kirk Auvil
Kirk Auvil is an associate at The Employment Law Center in Parkersburg, a practice focused on plaintiffs’ employment law started by his father Walt Auvil. Over the last four years, he has emerged as a state leader on technology issues and e-discovery in employment law. He has presented on these topics for the West Virginia Employment Lawyers Association as well as the West Virginia State Bar’s 2024 Labor and Employment CLE conference. Kirk is a graduate of West Virginia University and earned his J. D. from the WVU College of Law.
Susan Bowersox
Susan Bowersox is a certified structured settlement consultant for NFP Structured Settlements. She has more than 24 years of experience in the insurance and financial services industries, specializing in structured settlements and trusts. She assists with case evaluations and presenting settlement proposals in a wide variety of cases including product liability, aviation, sexual molestation, employment litigation, medical malpractice, and mass torts. She received the Certified Structured Settlement Consultant designation through the National Structured Settlement Trade Association and the University of Notre Dame. In 2024 she received the designation of Master’s Certified Structured Settlement Consultant from NSSTA and the University of Texas at Austin. She is a graduate of Wayne State College and attended the University of Nebraska for graduate studies in Pharmacology.
Courtney Camillus, Ph.D.
Dr. Courtney Camillus is the founder and CEO of Camillus Trial Consulting and is one of its senior trial consultants. She works with attorneys to conduct focus groups and mock trials, assists with witness preparation and theme development, and develops juror questions for voir dire. Through her work, she has developed a proprietary psychological assessment that provides invaluable insight and empirical evidence to assist attorneys. Dr. Camillus is a graduate of Ohio Wesleyan College and earned her Ph.D. from Ohio State University.
John Camillus
John Camillus' law practice, Camillus Law, is based in Dublin, Ohio. His practice areas include employment discrimination, civil rights, personal injury, wrongful death, product liability, complex commercial litigation, appellate law, and more. Prior to opening his own practice, John was an attorney with Cooper and Elliott in Columbus, focused on civil litigation. He also was a litigator with the international firm of Jones Day, where he worked on both civil and criminal matters at the trial and appellate level. Before entering private practice, he was a clerk for Judge R. Guy Cole, Jr., judge for the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. John is a graduate of Ohio Wesleyan College. After graduation he studied for a year in Spain at the Universidad de Valladolid. He earned his J. D. from Yale Law School, where he was an editor of the Yale Law and Policy Review.
Katherine Charonko
Kate Charonko is a partner with the Charleston firm of Bailey and Glasser. She is the firm’s Electronically Stored Information (ESI) practice group leader and assists all firm case managers and attorney case teams with ESI. She is a Certified E-Discovery Specialist (CEDS), an internationally recognized credential. Kate also practices as part of the firm’s multidistrict litigation teams focusing on automotive and medical device product liability. She is a graduate of West Virginia University and earned her J. D. from the WVU College of Law.
Stephen Chovanec
Stephen Chovanec is general counsel with the United States Department of Veterans Affairs revenue law group in the VA office located in Roanoke, Virginia. He has been a VA staff attorney since the beginning of his legal career. Stephen is a graduate of Roanoke College and earned his J. D. from the Washington and Lee University School of Law.
Rachael Fletcher Cipoletti
Rachael Fletcher Cipoletti is the chief lawyer disciplinary counsel for the West Virginia Office of Disciplinary Counsel. She joined the office in 2002 and has served a chief disciplinary counsel since 2008. She serves as the office’s liaison to both the West Virginia Judicial and Lawyer Assistance Program and the West Virginia Task Force on Lawyer Well-Being. She is a frequent lecturer on ethics and professionalism for the West Virginia Supreme Court, the West Virginia State Bar, the West Virginia University College of Law, and the American Bar Association’s Center for Professional Responsibility. She is a member of the Center for Professional Responsibility and the National Organization of Bar Counsel. Rachael is a graduate of West Virginia University and earned her J. D. from the WVU College of Law. She is a 2023 graduate of Leadership West Virginia.
Kristin Chess
Kristin Chess is a certified structured settlement consultant for NFP Structured Settlements, and she has nearly 30 years of experience in the insurance industry. She has settled a wide variety of case types including truck and auto liability, products liability, employment, medical malpractice, mass torts, attorney fee structures and more. She also specializes in handling Medicare set aside accounts for workers compensation and liability. She is a graduate of Concordia College. In 2005, she received the Certified Structured Settlement Consultant designation through the National Structured Settlement Trade Association and the University of Notre Dame.
Dr. Matthew Dodson
Dr. Matthew Dodson is owner of Braintrust Rehabilitation and Consulting in Fort Collins, Colorado, and he has nearly 20 years of experience as an occupational therapist. He is a national expert in evaluating objective and functional deficits from brain injuries and specializes in developing multidisciplinary clinical assessments and intervention programming for mild brain injuries. This work has included developing concussion programs for the United States Department of Defense and serving as supervisor for outpatient traumatic brain injury occupation therapy for Walter Reed National Army Medical Center. He has written and lectured extensively on the subject nationally. Dr. Dodson is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, and he earned his clinical doctorate in occupational therapy at the Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine. Dr. Dodson is a clinical assistant professor for the University of Missouri’s Department of Occupational Therapy.
Erik Engle
Erik Engle is vice president of Assured Partners of West Virginia and has more than 12 years of experience of experience in commercial insurance. Prior to entering insurance, he worked for 15 years as a defense attorney in the Charleston firms of MacCorkle, Lavender, and Sweeney; Pullin, Fowler, and Flanigan; and Jackson Kelly. Erik is a graduate of West Virginia University and earned his J. D. from the WVU College of Law. He completed a special program with the Hartford School of Insurance to be a commercial lines coverage specialist.
Jesse Forbes
Jesse Forbes is an attorney with Forbes Law Offices in Charleston. He represents victims of violent crimes and serious injuries, and has represented victims of abuse against churches, schools and other entities. His cases have been featured in national news media including the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, CNN, ABC News, MSNBC, and others. Jesse has also handled serious and complex criminal cases including first degree murder and other serious felonies. Jesse is a former mental hygiene commissioner for Kanawha County and has served as a guardian ad litem for abused children in hundreds of cases. He is a member of the West Virginia Supreme Court’s Juvenile Justice Commission; the Kanawha County Deputy Sheriffs Civil Service Commission; and is the chair of the Kanawha County Community Corrections board. Jesse is a graduate of West Virginia University and earned his J. D. from the Wake Forest University School of Law. Jesse will serve at WVAJ vice president for the 2025 – 2026 management year.
William Goodman
Bill Goodman is the president/CEO and co-founded of NFP Structured Settlements and has more than 33 years of experience in structured settlements and trusts. He has special expertise in the areas of medical malpractice, wrongful death, workers compensation, mass torts, sexual abuse cases, and catastrophic injuries. In 1994 Bill received the Certified Structured Settlement Consultant designation through the National Structured Settlement Trade Association and the University of Notre Dame. Bill is a graduate of Hamilton College and earned an M. S. in Law from Champlain College.
Aaron Harrah
Aaron Harrah is an associate with the Charleston firm of Hill, Peterson, Carper, Bee, and Deitzler. He interned with the firm while in law school, and he has practiced there since 2005. His practice areas include personal injury, medical malpractice, vehicular crashes, product liability, anti-trust law, and defective construction. Aaron is a graduate of Marshall University and earned his J. D. from the West Virginia University College of Law.
Tyler Haslam
Tyler Haslam opened his Huntington practice, Haslam Law, in 2020. His diverse practice areas include personal injury, wrongful death, criminal defense, medical malpractice, insurance claims, and more. He began his legal career with a civil defense firm. Tyler is a graduate of Emory and Henry College and earned his J. D. from the Ohio Northern University Pettit College of Law. He is a veteran of the United States Army’s 75th Ranger Regiment and has served as a judge advocate for the West Virginia Army National Guard and the 19th Special Forces Group (Airborne).
Brian J. Lanham
Brian Lanham has served as deputy counsel of the West Virginia Supreme Court’s Judicial Investigation Commission for more than 10 years. He began his legal career as an assistant prosecuting attorney in Clay County and served as prosecutor in Braxton County. He moved to the Kanawha County office as an assistant prosecutor before going to the West Virginia Prosecuting Attorneys Institute as a traffic safety resource protector. Brian has also served as a mental hygiene commissioner and as a municipal judge for the city of Dunbar. Brian is a graduate of Cedarville University and earned his J. D. from the West Virginia University College of Law.
Samuel Madia
Sam Madia founded his law practice, now known as Madia Law, in 2015, and it has offices in both Clarksburg and Morgantown. His plaintiffs’ only practice includes representing those who have been injured or wronged in the areas ofautomobile and truck collisions, personal injury, workplace injury and death, and insurance law. He began his legal career as an associate with West Virginia’s largest litigation defense firm, defending more than 500 civil lawsuits, including serious injury and wrongful death claims. is a graduate of West Virginia University and earned his J. D. from the WVU College of Law.
Michelle Marinacci
Michelle Marinacci is an attorney with the Moundsville firm of Gold, Khourey, and Turak, specializing in medical malpractice and insurance law cases. She began her legal career as an associate with a Charleston defense firm representing insurance, doctors, hospitals, pharmaceutical corporations, governmental entities in civil litigation. She left defense practice to serve as clerk and chief of staff for former West Virginia Supreme Court Justice Brent Benjamin. She is a member of the West Virginia Association for Justice Amicus Committee. Michelle is a graduate of West Virginia University and earned her J. D. from the Florida State University College of Law.
Jed Nolan
Jed Nolan is the program director and practitioner-in-residence for the Veterans Advocacy Clinic at the West Virginia University College of Law. His private practice, Nolan Consumer Law, is located in Athens, West Virginia, and focuses on claims under the West Virginia Consumer Credit and Protection Act, the Fair Credit Reporting Act, and Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. Prior to opening his own practice, Jed worked for Mountain State Justice, Legal Aid of West Virginia, and a private firm. Jed is a graduate of Marshall University and earned his J.D. from the West Virginia University College of Law.
Judge Stacy Nowicki-Eldridge
Judge Stacy Nowicki-Eldridge was appointed circuit judge for Lincoln County in December 2021, and she was elected to the seat the following year. In 2024 she was re-elected to a full-term in what is now the 9th Judicial Circuit, comprised of Boone and Lincoln counties. Prior to her appointment to the bench, served as a prosecuting attorney, public defender, and as law clerk to Judge Ronald Wilson. Judge Nowicki-Eldridge was a West Virginia state government attorney for 20 years including serving as an assistant attorney general, legislative staff counsel, and counsel for several agencies in what is now the West Virginia Department of Homeland Security. At the time of her appointment, she was serving as deputy general counsel and legislative liaison for Homeland Security. Judge Nowicki-Eldridge is a graduate of West Virginia University and earned her J. D. from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law.
Eric Snyder
Eric Snyder is a partner with the firm of Bailey and Glasser in the Charleston office and is the firm’s general counsel. He is the practice group leader for the firm’s national automotive, antitrust, insurance, financial products, and whistleblower practice group. His national complex litigation practice focuses on class actions and mass torts. He is a graduate of Penn State University and earned his J. D. from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law.
R. Mark Staun
Mark Staun is an attorney in the Charleston office of Hartley Law Group and has spent his entire legal career in civil plaintiffs law. For more than 30 years, he has concentrated his practice in the area of complex, catastrophic personal injury litigation including medical and hospital negligence, industrial and mining accidents, aviation accidents, tractor trailer crashes and product liability. Mark is a graduate of West Virginia University and earned his J. D. from the WVU College of Law.
J. Ryan Stewart
Ryan Stewart is an attorney with the Charleston firm of Bailey, Javins, and Carter. His practice areas include mining accidents, workplace injury, wrongful death, catastrophic injury, industrial accidents, product liability, industrial accidents, and others. Ryan is a graduate of Marshall University and earned his J.D. from the West Virginia University College of Law.
Justice William R. Wooton
Justice William R. Wooton was elected to the West Virginia Supreme Court in 2020 and is the 2025 chief justice. He began his legal career as a clerk for Judge John Field, judge for the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. He also served as an assistant West Virginia attorney general and as an assistant prosecutor in Raleigh County. Justice Wooton was in private practice in Beckley from 1977 – 2020. Justice Wooton is a graduate of Marshall University and earned his J. D. from the West Virginia University College of Law. Justice Wooton served in the West Virginia Legislature for a total of 26 years between 1977 to 2010. He served in the House of Delegates for 14 years, including serving as its majority leader, and he served in the West Virginia State Senate for 12 years, including 10 as chair of its judiciary committee.
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