PERSONNEL FILE: Legal Aid of W.Va. announced election of board of directors

CHARLESTON -– Three new board members were welcomed to the Legal Aid of West Virginia Board of Directors, during its Annual Meeting held in Charleston on May 8.

Two members were elected through an election process involving peer-voting by members of the legal community. A third new member was appointed by the Mountain State Bar Association.

The three new LAWV Board members include Tim Sirk, who will represent Region Three, which includes Pendleton, Grant, Tucker, Hardy, Mineral, Hampshire, Morgan, Berkeley and Jefferson Counties. Sirk replaces Bandy Sims, who had served on the LAWV Board since 2006. Sirk is a solo-practitioner from Keyser.

Elected from Region Nine is Kevin Robinson. Region Nine includes Mercer, Monroe, Raleigh and Summers Counties. Robinson comes from the defense firm of Puller, Fowler, Flanagan, Brown & Poe. He works in their Beckley office. Robinson replaces Greg Prudich who had served on the LAWV Board for about a year.

Re-elected from Region Ten is Teresa McCune. Region Ten includes Logan, McDowell, and Mingo Counties. McCune serves as the Chief Defender of the Public Defender Corporation in Williamson. She has served on the LAWV Board since 2006.

Finally, coming onto the LAWV Board as an appointee from the Mountain State Bar is Meshea Poore. Poore is the Assistant Public Defender in Kanawha County. She replaces long-time LAWV Board member Wilbert Payne who had served on the Board since 2003.

The Legal Aid of West Virginia Board of Directors is a diverse group of 19 volunteers from across the state, who are led by Board President Andy Nason of Pepper & Nason.

LAWV Board Members include:

* Anita Casey, W.Va. State Bar

* Robert Gaudio, Flaherty Sensabaugh & Bonasso

* Bader Giggenbach, Brewer & Giggenbach

* Diane Eagle, Masontown

* Tina Faber, Kenna

* Shirley Harrah, W.Va. Birth to Three

* Loren Howley, Howley Law Office

* Diane Jett, Hurricane

* David Lockwood, Lockwood & Lockwood

* Professor Marjorie McDiarmid, WVU College of Law

* James Martin Jr., Siegrist & White

* Teresa McCune, Public Defender Corporation

* Brace Mullett, Dinsmore & Shohl

* Meshea Poore, Mountain State Bar

* Helen Powell, Glen Jean

* Robert Richardson, Richardson Law Firm

* Kevin Robinson, Pullin, Fowler, Flanigan, Brown & Poe

* Timothy Sirk, Keyser

"The Legal Aid of West Virginia Board of Directors is an incredibly dedicated group of people who understand the critical role that legal services play in our society. I've no doubt that these new members, coupled with our long-standing members, will serve as enthusiastic ambassadors for the organization and our clients across the state," said Adrienne Worthy, Executive Director of Legal Aid of West Virginia.

LAWV is a statewide, non-profit law firm which provides free civil legal services to West Virginia's most vulnerable citizens, including nursing home residents, domestic violence victims, abused and neglected children, families struggling with mental illness or single parents fighting to maintain housing and self-sufficiency. In 2008, Legal Aid of West Virginia handled over 10,000 cases.

For more information, visit www.lawv.net.