Lawyer chose specialty to face his fear
by George Hohmann
Daily Mail Business Editor
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- At an early age Chip Williams saw the good that lawyers could do for small businesses and educators.
"My step-dad ran Spartan Sporting Goods in Beckley and I worked there growing up," he said. "I got to see a lot of the day-to-day problems that small businesses have and how that ties into what you can do to help people as an attorney.
"My dad, Clacy, was executive director of the state School Building Authority. They did a lot of school consolidations and construction programs and when the program first started, there was a lot of litigation. So I was exposed to legal issues then and got to see how much he appreciated the attorneys who were working for him."
Although Williams concluded that he wanted to be a lawyer, "I didn't think I would do litigation. Like many other people, I had a huge fear of public speaking. But I don't like to be afraid of things so I promised myself I would break myself of that fear. Now that I'm in litigation, I enjoy being in front of people. It wasn't an easy thing to do but I think as you grow in life you become more comfortable."
Williams graduated from West Virginia University's College of Law in 1999. He presented his first closing argument in a federal trial when he was 26 years old. He tried his first case when he was 27.
He became a non-equity member of the Charleston-based law firm of Pullin, Fowler, Flanagan, Brown and Poe at age 30. And this year - at age 35 - Williams became the youngest person to gain equity membership in the firm, which now has four equity members.
Williams heads Pullin, Fowler's office in his hometown, Beckley. "I came with the firm because I wanted to be in Beckley," he said. "This is the only Charleston firm with a satellite office south of Charleston."
"I always tell people that I do defense litigation. Anything you can be sued for, our firm can defend you. My favorite areas and the ones I tend to get going about the most are, I defend law enforcement officers and schoolteachers when they get sued. They're both difficult, under-paid professions. When they get sued it's a big deal to them. As an attorney you try to remove yourself emotionally from cases but I tend to take those cases a little more personally - especially with law enforcement because the allegations made against them at times are very serious."
Williams said that in addition to his father's role in education, his mother is a schoolteacher in Raleigh County and his stepmother is an educator. "Growing up I would hear the things they were dealing with and going through," he said. "Being in Raleigh County, I get to deal with a lot of teachers and administrators I knew when I was growing up. It makes you feel good when you can help," especially when the client is a former teacher or principal.
Pullin, Fowler's Beckley office has nine attorneys and handles everything south of Charleston.
"In the southern part of the state, maybe more than any other, even if you're from Charleston some people view you as an outsider," Williams said. "If you're from Beckley you're viewed as being from southern West Virginia. I do a lot of litigation in Wyoming, McDowell, Greenbrier, Fayette, Raleigh and Mercer counties. I have become familiar with the attorneys in those counties and am viewed as somebody local."
Williams has high praise for the firm's Beckley attorneys and staff. "Our office is full of people who care about doing a good job and doing it right," he said. "You don't have to micromanage people. It's a unique environment.
"Litigation is stressful enough without having side issues. When you've got a team, the only thing you have to worry about is your client."
Williams attributes much of his success to his legal assistants.
"Anybody who is an attorney will tell you can't do your job very effectively without a good legal assistant you can trust," he said. "I've been fortunate to have two really good legal assistants. My first one, Mary Cook, moved back to Texas. Norma Simms has been my legal assistant for the last 3 1/2 years.
"Again, having a person you trust in that position is invaluable. They schedule everything you do. Their hands are on every document you send out. The stress level with what we deal with is already high enough. Having to re-check something you've given someone can make it twice as difficult or 10 times easier."
Pullin, Fowler is celebrating its 20th anniversary. The firm has more than 100 employees, including 47 attorneys. In addition to its headquarters at 901 Quarrier St. and its Beckley office above the Chase Bank drive-thru on Neville Street, the firm has offices in Morgantown and Martinsburg.
Contact writer George Hohmann at busin...@dailymail.com or 304-348-4836.
