Recognized for his work  on a variety of complex, high exposure cases, J.H. has extensive trial and appellate experience in a wide variety of litigation matters.

He has extensive experience in complex commercial and business litigation, including corporate and contract disputes, real estate claims, unfair competition, and intellectual property litigation. He also has handled construction litigation and disputes including construction defect claims, architects and engineers' liability claims, contractor delay/disruption claims, bid disputes and additional work/changed conditions/change order litigation, catastrophic and mass tort litigation, including traumatic brain injury cases, deliberate intent claims and workplace injuries. 

Additionally, he has experience with employment litigation and disputes representing employers in wrongful termination, hostile work environment, unlawful harassment and covenant-not-to-compete cases, as well as transportation litigation for rail and trucking companies, including derailment claims, Federal Employers' Liability Act litigation and truck/motor carrier accidents.  His practice also extends into energy and natural resource litigation for owners, operators and producers in the natural gas, timber and coal industries, as well as product liability litigation for pharmaceutical companies and manufacturers of personal protective equipment, and professional liability claims representing lawyers, architects, engineers, real estate professionals, accountants and actuaries.

His representative clients include major transportation companies, pharmaceutical companies, energy exploration and production companies, product manufacturers, and retailers. He has handled cases in state and federal courts throughout West Virginia and New Mexico, and has appeared pro hac vice on behalf of clients in state and federal courts in Kentucky, Ohio, Virginia and North Carolina.

Bar Admissions

West Virginia

New Mexico (inactive)

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit

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

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

U.S. District Court for the District of New Mexico

Education

• Washington and Lee University School of Law (J.D., magna cum laude, 1992)
  • Order of the Coif
• Bethany College (B.A., magna cum laude, 1989)
  • Politics and Public Policy

• Fellow, Litigation Counsel of America (an honor conferred on less than one-half of one percent of lawyers nationwide)
• Chambers USA^®: America's Leading Lawyers for Business, Litigation: General Commercial 
• Best Lawyers^® 
  • "Lawyer of the Year" in Charleston for Litigation - Construction (2014, 2017, 2021)
  • Commercial Litigation (2021-2024)
  • Employment Law - Management (2021-2024)
  • Litigation - Construction (2021-2024)
  • Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions - Defendants (2021-2024)
  • Personal Injury - Defendants (2021-2024)
  • Railroad Law (2021-2024)
• West Virginia Super Lawyers^®
  • Business Litigation (2021)
• Local Litigation Star by Benchmark Litigation in Appellate Advocacy, Commercial Litigation and Product Liability Litigation

• National Association of Railroad Trial Counsel, National Executive Committee
• Cabell County Bar Association, President (2003 - 2004)
• American Bar Association
• Huntington YMCA, volunteer basketball coach
• West Virginia District 1, volunteer staff umpire
• Little League 3, volunteer baseball coach
• West Virginia Vision Shared, Board of Directors (2012 - present)