Four new partners were named by the law firm of Bowles Rice McDavid Graff and Love LLP, effective January 1, 2004. Charles T. Berry, Paul S. Barbery, Robert S. Kiss and Susan B. Saxe officially became partners of the firm and were honored at a celebration held Saturday, January 26, 2004, at The Clay Center in Charleston, West Virginia.
Mr. Berry, a partner in the Morgantown office, concentrates his practice in personal injury defense, insurance “bad faith” defense, family law and criminal law. He earned undergraduate degrees in electrical engineering, mechanical engineering and industrial management from West Virginia Institute of Technology. He earned his law degree from West Virginia University in 1996. Prior to attending law school, Mr. Berry held various management positions in the coal industry. Most recently, he served as the maintenance superintendent for the Martinka Coal Company in Fairmont, West Virginia.
Mr. Barbery is a partner in the Charleston office and a member of the Energy, Environment & Regulatory Practice Group. Most recently, he served as General Counsel to American Metals & Coal International Companies, and as Senior Vice-President and General Counsel to Asian American Coal, Inc. Before joining these companies, he was Senior Vice-President and General Counsel to A.T. Massey Coal Company. Prior to his tenure with A.T. Massey Coal, he served as Vice-President and General Counsel to Virginia Iron, Coal & Coke and before that, as General Counsel to Pittston Coal Group. He is a former Director for Shanxi Asian American & Daning Energy, LLC (1999 - 2003), and was a speaker at the Energy Mineral Law Foundation Joint Venture Agreements in China.
Mr. Barbery earned his J.D. from the University of Richmond T.C. Williams School of Law. He received his Bachelor of Science Degree in Mining Engineering from the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.
Mr. Kiss is a partner in the Charleston Office practicing in the areas of tax, estate planning and commercial law. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Ohio State University in 1979, and his law degree in 1982. Mr. Kiss has been a member of the West Virginia House of Delegates since 1989 and is currently Speaker of the House, a position he has held since 1997.
Pursuant to his Legislative duties, Mr. Kiss has been extensively involved for more than a decade with major economic and fiscal legislation, including the West Virginia School Building Authority, water and sewer infrastructure development, state tax policy, state health care plans, including PEIA and Medicaid, State retirement systems, the State’s Workers’ Compensation system, and the State’s Tax Increment Financing (TIF).
Susan B. Saxe is a partner in the Charleston office, a member of the Health Care Practice Group and a registered nurse. Her practice with the firm focuses primarily on issues affecting health care providers, both individual and institutional, including medical malpractice defense, health care contracts, regulatory compliance and risk analysis and management. Ms. Saxe received her Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing from West Virginia University in 1980, and was a practicing nurse before entering law school. She graduated first in her class at the West Virginia University College of Law in 1989.
Tom Graff, Managing Partner of the firm, also announced the election of two new members to the firm’s Administrative Executive Board. Elizabeth Harter and J. Thomas Lane have each been elected to a four-year term on the firm’s Executive Board. Other Board members include Robert Bays, Norwood Bentley, Kimberly Croyle, Thomas Heywood, Spencer Noe, Mike Pleska and Tom Graff.