Charleston, W.Va. — Spilman Thomas & Battle (Spilman) announced that Joseph A. (Jay) Ford and Charity K. Lawrence were elected as Members of the law firm effective January 1, 2022.

Ford's primary areas of practice are commercial litigation and business torts, product liability, and healthcare litigation. He has represented clients in numerous class action lawsuits, ranging from medical malpractice, fraud, and negligence claims to violations of the West Virginia Wage Payment & Collection Act.

In addition to serving as co-editor of Spilman’s COVID-19-focused e-newsletter, Ford serves as the newsletter editor for the American Bar Association’s Products Liability Committee. He also serves as the chairperson for the Young Lawyers Division of the West Virginia Bar Association and as the District 8 representative for the Young Lawyer Board of the West Virginia State Bar.

Lawrence's primary area of practice is general litigation, including personal injury, asbestos, product liability and workers' compensation litigation. She has extensive experience defending employers in claims related to workplace injuries, occupational disease, occupational pneumoconiosis, and hearing loss, as well as defending clients against wrongful death and premises liability claims.

Lawrence serves as vice chair of the American Bar Association Workers' Compensation and Employers' Liability General Committee and as newsletter editor for the American Bar Association Tort Trial & Insurance Practice Section (TIPS) Workers’ Compensation and Employer Liability Committee. She is also the member designee for the Southeast Region of the National Workers' Compensation Defense Network.

Ford and Lawrence both are based in Spilman's Charleston, West Virginia office.

About Spilman Thomas & Battle, PLLC
Spilman Thomas & Battle is a full-service, super-regional law firm serving local, regional, national and international businesses. Founded in 1864, Spilman has offices in Charleston, Morgantown and Wheeling, West Virginia; Winston-Salem, North Carolina; Harrisburg and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; and Roanoke, Virginia.