CHARLESTON – Growing up, Bobby Warner knew that he wanted to practice law as he listened to his father recount his daily work as a counselor in West Virginia.
A graduate of West Virginia University, Warner founded Warner Law Offices and has carved out a successful career practicing law in Charleston. That hard work has led to the honor as one of America’s Top 100 Attorneys.
Charleston attorney Bobby Warner has been recognized as America’s Top 100 Attorneys
| Photo courtesy of Warner Law Offices
Growing up, Warner reveled in the stories his father would share about his work and cases.
“I enjoyed hearing him talk about his work,” he told The West Virginia Record. “It seemed that every day was different with different challenges. From an early age, I knew that I wanted to be an attorney and do courtroom work.”
And the hard work has paid off for Warner.
America’s Top 100 Attorneys is a recognition that is invitation only.
"Selection is not achieved based on a single accomplishment or a single great year of success, but rather on a career of hard work, ethical standards, and community enriching accomplishments that are inspiring among the legal profession," Warner Law Offices wrote in a release about the award.
According to Warner, it is flattering to be mentioned with other great lawyers who have received this honor.
“There are a lot of great lawyers in West Virginia,” he told The West Virginia Record. “It feels good to get recognition for your hard work. Behind every good lawyer typically is other great lawyers and great staff. We look it as great recognition for our firm in its entirety for all of the hard work we do every day.”
Warner has been practicing law for 18 years. He started his career with Huddleston Bolen. He founded his firm in 2000. It specializes in personal injury, class actions, defective medical devices and work accidents.
“It is an honor to receive this award,” said Warner in a release. “Nobody hands you an instruction manual or a playbook when you start your career. Much of what you need to know is not told to you and instead, learned the hard way. I’m fortunate to have had people in my life who have shown me that professionalism and treating people with respect is one of the most important attributes of success.”
Honors are nice, though Warner said it remains to be seen if it will have any impact on the firm’s business.
“We get a large percentage of cases from other lawyers who may not do this work or may need some help,” he said. “They tend to read lawyer publications, and maybe it could increase some attorney referrals to our firm.”
The honor isn’t going to change Warner’s direction as an attorney.
“My goals have always been to do solid work and represent people as if they were family,” he said. “As long as we do that, everything will be great in the end.”
In the end, Warner sees the recognition as a team award.
“The honor makes me feel good for the work the firm has done,” he said. “We are proud of the results that we have seen.”
Warner noted that attorneys today live in a tough environment where they are criticized a lot.
“Our firm tries to be careful in the cases we select,” he said. “We take it seriously and believe we are in a great profession.”
And life has come full circle. When Warner’s father, Boyd Warner, retired two years ago, it didn’t take him long to realize he missed the profession.
“He works at the firm now, handling a few cases,” Warner said. “He just missed it and he loves the work.”
According to America’s Top 100 Attorneys, it has a thorough proprietary algorithmic selection process. It ensures its membership meets strict standards. Its candidates are carefully screened through third-party research and statistical analysis based on candidate’s professional experience, achievements, community impact and other criteria.
According to America’s Top 100 Attorneys, less than one-half of 1 percent of active attorneys in the U.S. receive this honor.