Denise is a trusted adviser to her clients.  Her approach to representation is to form a partnership with them, which includes developing a deep understanding of their business. Her clients are confident she makes strategic recommendations with a global view of how the defense to one individual case may impact future cases or business relationships. 

She has been practicing for more than two decades and is the managing partner of the firm’s Wheeling office. Her practice focuses on insurance bad faith and chemical exposure litigation. She represents multiple insurance companies and chemical industry clients. Her experience includes management, discovery, and resolution of lawsuits for violation of insurance regulations involving personal and commercial insurance coverage. She also serves as lead counsel and co-counsel in class action, multi-party suits, and mass tort claims, including medical monitoring, benzene exposure claims, and personal injury suits relating to neurological disease, genotoxicity, reproductive toxicity, various cancers, and bronchiolitis obliterans.

Denise began her career at a general practice law firm defending trucking companies, hospitals in medical malpractice cases, and employers in workers’ compensation claims.  She knows from her experience cases that appear dissimilar on the surface may have connective tissue at their root, and she understands the importance of thoroughly vetting the specific details behind every claim involving her clients.

A proven leader in the firm, she selects and manages teams of attorneys tasked with serving clients’ specific needs. Her colleagues consider her a driving force; she is tenacious, and she demands the best of her co-workers and fellow attorneys when defending cases. She is also the office managing partner.

Bar Admissions

West Virginia

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit

U.S. District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia

U.S. District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia

Education

• West Virginia University College of Law (J.D., 1994)
  • Moot Court Board
• Wheeling Jesuit University (B.A., 1990)
  • Political Science
  • Outstanding Senior in Social Sciences Award

• Peer Review Rated AV in Martindale-Hubbell
• Best Lawyers^® 
  • Commercial Litigation (2021-2024)
• West Virginia Super Lawyers^®
  • Insurance Coverage (2021)
• West Virginia Generation Next presented by The State Journal (2006)
• Dinsmore Board of Directors (2009 - 2015)

• Wheeling Health Right, Inc., Board of Directors
• The Health Plan of West Virginia, Chair, Board of Directors
• Leadership West Virginia (2008)