Foster Bird
Gilpin
HUNTINGTON -- Melissa Foster Bird, a partner with the law firm Huddleston Bolen, has been named a Fellow in the Litigation Counsel of America, a highly selective honorary society established to reflect and recognize the face of the American bar in the 21st century.
Membership in the Litigation Counsel of America (LCA) is by invitation only and limited to 3,500 Fellows nationwide; less than one-half of 1 percent of all lawyers in the U.S. The LCA selects Fellows based on effectiveness and accomplishment in litigation, both at the trial and appellate levels, and superior ethical reputation. Aggressively diverse in its composition, the society represents the best in law among its membership.
"The naming of Melissa Foster Bird to the Litigation Counsel of America marks yet another milestone for a Huddleston Bolen partner. We are extremely proud to recognize Melissa for her success as a trial lawyer, as well as her commitment to the highest standards of our profession" noted Thomas Gilpin, chairman of the firm's Management Committee.
Foster Bird's practice is concentrated in workplace sexual harassment and retaliatory discharge. She also has significant experience in railroad defense litigation, products liability, premises liability, professional malpractice, and toxic tort cases.
She has been published in the areas of privacy and media law, and has taught seminars in the areas of Effective Motion Practice, Expert Witness Direct and Cross Examination, Trial Practice and Tactics, and scientific research concerning Cumulative Trauma Disorders.
Currently, Foster Bird serves on the faculty of the litigation trial school, sponsored by the National Association of Railroad Trial Counsel. She is a member of DRI, the National Association of Railroad Trial Counsel, and the Defense Trial Counsel of West Virginia.
A native of southern Ohio, Foster Bird graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree from Miami University in 1990. She received her Juris Doctorate from The Ohio State University in 1994.
Foster Bird has served the community as a volunteer for the Huntington Museum of Art Capital Campaign, the United Way of the River Cities, and the West Virginia Civil Liberties Union. She also has been actively involved in Andrew's Buddies/FightSMA, an organization that raises funds for research in the area of Spinal Muscular Atrophy.
Foster Bird is married to Steve Bird and is the mother of Luke and Winnie.
Huddleston Bolen is a law firm with more than 50 attorneys practicing in offices located in Huntington and Charleston in West Virginia and Ashland and Louisville in Kentucky. The firm, founded in 1871, represents clients in many practice groups, including banking and finance, health care, insurance, litigation, natural resources, real estate and transportation.
For more information about Huddleston Bolen, visit the firm's Web site at www.huddlestonbolen.com.