CHARLESTON – Jason C. Pizatella has returned to private practice at Spilman Thomas & Battle after leaving the firm to serve in various positions for the West Virginia state government.
Although the decision to rejoin the private sector was a difficult one, Pizatella said “the timing seemed right.”
“I’ve been fortunate to have held a number of leadership roles throughout state government over the last seven years,” Pizatella told The West Virginia Record. “I have worked for the last four governors in some capacity … I've been blessed with incredible mentors in my career, both inside and outside state government, and am excited to rejoin Spilman where I worked when I first started practicing law.”
Pizatella said his first role in state government was deputy state tax commissioner during Gov. Joe Manchin’s administration. When Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin took office, Pizatella was his director of legislative affairs and then later deputy chief of staff. He also served as both acting secretary of the Department of Revenue and acting secretary of the Department of Administration.
After a brief stint as the president and chief executive officer of the Morgantown Area Chamber of Commerce, Pizatella said Gov. Jim Justice asked him to join his team as deputy chief of staff.
“The deputy chief of staff role is equivalent to that of a chief operating officer,” Pizatella said. “It was my job to…make sure that all of the state agencies, boards and departments that reported to the governor were carrying out his policies and his vision for the Mountain State.”
Pizatella said he was “honored to have the confidence” of the governors for whom he worked. In addition, he enjoyed helping West Virginians in his various capacities in state government.
“There are 1.8 million West Virginians that rely on the work that state government does and the services that state government provides,” Pizatella said. “For me, to solve problems and to make people's lives better at the same time meant a great deal.”
Just as his experience as an attorney “proved invaluable” for his work in state government, Pizatella said he hopes his public service experience will be an important asset in his return to Spilman.
“I hope to add value to Spilman clients in a two-fold manner: through my knowledge and training as a lawyer with the ability to solve problems, however large or small and through my experience and understanding of the state legislature, state, county and municipal government, the players and the processes that go into making things happen,” Pizatella said.
According to the Spilman release, Pizatella will focus his private practice in the areas of general corporate law, business expansion and economic development, administrative law, energy law, public utility law and government relations.
Pizatella earned his undergraduate degree and law degrees from West Virginia University.