CHARLESTON – H. Dill Battle III, a West Virginia attorney recently named a fellow of the College of Workers' Compensation Lawyers, says the honor is a testament to the attorneys who have mentored him over the years.
“I’m a humble person and I don’t feel I merited the selection, but I’m honored and believe it represents all of the lawyers I’ve learned from over the years,” Battle told The West Virginia Record.
The induction dinner was held March 18 in Arizona.
Battle, a partner at the law firm Spilman Thomas and Battle for 20 years, is involved in a variety of civic and professional organizations, and serves as the chair of the firm’s worker’s compensation working group.
Spilman Thomas and Battle has seven offices in West Virginia and employs 140 attorneys. The firm also has offices in North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Virginia.
Battle said he feels his involvement in the outside organizations has made him a more knowledgeable attorney and a more well-rounded citizen.
“It comes from the love of the practice area,” he said. “It’s a unique practice area and there’s a relatively small field of lawyers involved, but (it’s) a collegial group and we all get together to talk about various issues affecting our field.”
Tiffany Fridley, the law firm’s marketing manager, said the firm encourages its attorneys to become involved in the communities they serve.
“We like for our attorneys to be leaders across the board and (Battle) is the epitome of that,” she said.
He said he feels that outward looking approach has improved his abilities and made him a better advocate for injured workers.
Battle said the climate in West Virginia for injured workers seeking relief has improved greatly since he first started in the profession, and he credits that to the attorneys’ groups of which he is a part.
“Our goal is to make sure that workers have access to quality health care,” he said.
He said challenges still exist, especially as they relate to the health care industry and its willingness to accept worker’s compensation insurance, though he has seen progress.
Some of that progress has come in the form of lower workers' compensation insurance rates, which is due to a variety of factors that include the downward turn of the coal and timber industries.
Many times, he said, doctors avoid workers' compensation care because “they don’t want to get involved if it turns out they may have to give a deposition.” He said it’s also many times difficult for a doctor to determine whether a specific injury is related to work.