Practice Areas Overview

As an informed consumer of legal services, you need to be sure that the firm you select is in fact qualified to handle the matter at hand. The seasoned lawyers at McHugh Williams PLLC, in Charleston, WV, have made solid commitments to the following areas of practice in order to provide you with the best possible legal representation.  Contact us for further information about our firm and to schedule a consultation.

• Motor Vehicle Accidents - While motor vehicle accidents comprise a significant portion of personal injury and wrongful death claims, it would be wrong to think that they are always simple to resolve. We understand not just the "rules of the road" and the special duties imposed on commercial and public carriers, but also the complex scientific and engineering principles often necessary to unravel just how an accident occurred on the roadways of West Virginia and who, if anyone was at fault. We understand the legal medicine needed to evaluate what complaints were and were not caused by an accident, as well as the economic and accounting principles needed to evaluate losses. We handle accident injury claims involving:
  
  
  • Rear end collisions
  • Intersection accidents
  • Alcohol related crashes
  • Hit and run
  • Passenger injuries
  • Driver injuries
  • Motorcycle accidents
  • Semi-truck and tractor trailer crashes
  • Pedestrian accidents
  • Bicycle accidents

Our attorneys are well trained in fairly evaluating cases so that our clients can anticipate and appreciate realistic outcomes. When accident injury claims can be resolved fairly for all, through mediation, arbitration, or other Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) methods, our attorneys can aid in achieving that result. When accident injury claims must be tried, our attorneys recognize that as well and can tap into their extensive experience in the courtroom. Whatever the practical or legal issues that arise out of a motor vehicle accident, our firm is prepared to address them in order to met and exceed client objectives and goals.

• Personal Injury / Wrongful Death - The lawyers at McHugh Williams PLLC represent individuals and families involved in personal injury and wrongful death cases occasioned by the negligence, carelessness, and recklessness of others. Plaintiff personal injury and wrongful death cases can be difficult. Insurance companies want to limit their exposure or liability when a serious injury or death occurs. Insurance companies hire attorneys whose job it is to aggressively undermine each aspect of the plaintiff's claim. Through decades of combined experience, our personal injury attorneys have become all too familiar with their tactics while protecting and preserving the rights, health, and future welfare of the citizens of West Virginia. Our firm handles all types of serious and catastrophic personal injury and wrongful death cases involving:
  
  
  • Neck, Spinal Cord, and Back Injuries
  • Fractures and Dislocations
  • Brain Damage
  • Burns
  • Amputations
  • Paraplegia
  • Quadriplegia
  • Pain and Suffering
  • Other Severe, Permanent, and Crippling Injuries

We have successfully represented individuals and their families with claims caused by the negligence, carelessness, and recklessness of others in situations such as:

• • Automobile Accidents
  • Motorcycle Accidents
  • Bicycle Accidents
  • Semi-Tractor or Trucking Crashes
  • Pedestrian Accidents
  • Construction Site Accidents
  • Workplace Accidents
  • Dog and Animal Bites
  • Dangerous and Defective Products
  • Fires and Explosions
  • Medical Negligence / Malpractice
  • Nursing Home Negligence / Elder Abuse
  • Premises Liability
  • Building Defects
  • Bus and Train Accidents
  • Home Owner Injuries
  • Medications and Drug Injuries

• Medical Negligence / Malpractice - Medical malpractice, simply put, is negligence in performing a professional act. Medical providers are required to exercise reasonable care in accordance with the standards of care for the profession involved. If a doctor, surgeon, hospital, or other medical provider acts, or fails to act, in a manner that deviates from the accepted standard of care, then that provider may be liable for an injured person's damages. Though the majority of health care providers do good work, mistakes are sometimes made which could adversely affect a person, as well as their family and friends, for the rest of their lives. The medical malpractice attorneys at McHugh Williams PLLC, represent individuals and families whose medical provider has breached the standard of care in diagnosing or treating medical conditions. Our medical malpractice attorneys have extensive experience in cases involving:
  
  
  • Birth-related injuries
  • Brain injuries
  • Surgical errors
  • Misdiagnosis or late diagnosis
  • Failure to diagnose cancer
  • Obstetrical and gynecological malpractice
  • Patient neglect
  • Medication errors
  • Emergency room errors
  • Nursing home negligence, abuse, and neglect

• Admiralty and Maritime Law - Admiralty and Maritime Law is regulated by federal law through the Jones Act and the Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act.  If you have been injured in a boating accident in West Virginia’s navigable waters you are protected under admiralty law, not personal injury or workers’ compensation laws.  The lawyers at McHugh Williams PLLC, represent clients, particularly workers, who have been injured on boats and barges anywhere on West Virginia’s waterways.

• Labor Law - Labor law is a vital and complex element in the business operations of private and public employers. The goal of labor laws is to equalize the bargaining power between employers and employees. The laws primarily deal with the relationship between employers and unions. Labor laws grant employees the right to unionize and allows employers and employees to engage in certain activities, including strikes, picketing, and lockouts. The area of labor law is governed by federal law, state law, and case law. It is also governed by regulations and decisions of a variety of administrative agencies.

  The attorneys at McHugh Williams PLLC represent only labor unions and their members in all aspects of traditional labor law, including:

  • Union organization, union certification petitions, and union elections
  • Collective bargaining
  • Administration of labor contracts, including grievance procedures
  • Strikes, picketing, lockouts, and injunctions
  • Unfair labor practices and proceedings before the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB)
  • Federal court litigation and appeals
  • Mediation and arbitration
  • Workplace safety / Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) claims
  • Wage and hour law
  • Pension funds
  • Pension and health care plans under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA)

Our firm currently represents the West Virginia Laborers Union, affiliated with the Laborers Union of North America (LIUNA), and the International Union of Operating Engineers of West Virginia.

• Products Liability - Every year, thousands of consumers sustain serious injuries from defective products. Many of these injuries could be avoided if the manufacturers or distributors of these products took additional steps to ensure consumer safety. The main incentive to increase product safety is to avoid potential liability in product liability lawsuits, which provide compensation for the personal injuries sustained from the use of a defective product. The damages the consumer is entitled to receive may include compensation for:
  
  
  • Medical expenses
  • Lost wages
  • Loss of physical capacity
  • Pain, suffering, and mental anguish
  • Punitive damages

As part of our personal injury and wrongful death practice, we assist injured individuals in bringing their claims for their injuries or deaths caused by a manufacturing flaw or defect, a design flaw or defect, or where a product is unreasonably dangerous because of inadequate instructions or warnings. We ensure that injured consumers or the family and heirs of deceased consumers receive fair treatment under the law and seek full and fair compensation for injuries caused by dangerous and defective products.

• Health and Healthcare Law-When handling health and healthcare litigation, our lawyers work closely with our health care clients and have broad experience in a wide range of issues facing hospitals, clinics, and other organizations. Areas of practice are:
  
  
  • Regulatory and Administrative Compliance Issues
  • Certificates of Need
  • Governmental Regulation and Investigation
  • Internal Policies and Procedures
  • Breach of Contracts
  • Employment Issues
  • Privacy issues under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act ("HIPAA")
  • Administrative Appeals

• Litigation and Appeals - The lawyers at McHugh Williams PLLC have significant experience in state and federal trial and appellate court proceedings. We handle appeals with the same teamwork applied to our trial practice. Our lawyers provide litigation support and legal analysis on procedural and substantive issues during the entire course of litigation proceedings.

Contact us to schedule a consultation with one of our experienced lawyers.

McHugh Williams PLLC, in Charleston, West Virginia, serves clients throughout the state of West Virginia, including the communities of Charleston, Morgantown, Fairmont, Clarksburg, and Ripley. 

McHugh Williams PLLC
One Union Square, Building 2
Suite 201
P.O. Box 6771
Charleston, West Virginia 25362-6771
Phone: (304) 720-2434
Toll-Free: (866) 313-7976
Fax: (304) 720-2448
Email Us