PERSONNEL FILE: Allen Guthrie & Thomas honored by Chambers USA

CHARLESTON -- Chambers & Partners, legal publishers have issued their Chambers USA 2010 Client Guide. Allen Guthrie & Thomas was honored as one of only four firms in the state of West Virginia listed as a tier one General Commercial Litigation firm.

In addition, five AGT lawyers were ranked individually as well: David Thomas, Rebecca Betts, Bryant Spann, Philip Combs and Stephanie Thacker.

This is what Chambers had to say about the firm and its lawyers:

Allen Guthrie & Thomas has great depth, the ability to price work competitively and a high level of trial experience, from the most senior lawyer to the most junior. David Thomas covers toxic tort, mass tort and product liability work. He is famed for his "great courtroom presence, remaining calm under fire and communicating magnificently." He is also "a great strategic planner of a case." Bryant Spann works on extremely complex securities fraud and product liability litigation. Observers describe him as "even-tempered, always prepared, and nimble on his feet." Rebecca Betts is "a confident litigator who knows her cases over, under, sideways and down." She recently acted for Actavis on a multidistrict pharmaceutical litigation pending in the Southern District Court of West Virginia. Philip Combs is "a real mover and shaker in the market, destined for the top." He does a great deal of product liability work for clients such as Harley Davidson. Stephanie Thacker ... has been impressing high-profile clients. She is praised for being "more effective than other lawyers her age: she can always identify the crux of a matter and the right argument to win the case."

The Chambers publication is unique in that its rankings are of business lawyers only and based on client feedback. Chambers conducts thousands of interviews with clients each year to assess the reputations and expertise of business lawyers, looking for technical legal ability, professional conduct, client service, commercial awareness/astuteness, diligence and commitment.