CHARLESTON – Charleston attorney Mychal Sommer Schulz has announced his candidacy for the West Virginia Intermediate Court of Appeals.
Schulz, who has been a West Virginia attorney for more than 30 years, announced the campaign November 21 on MetroNews' "Talkline" with host Hoppy Kercheval.
“After more than three decades of litigating a wide variety of issues in West Virginia, I believe it’s time for me to use my experience and give back to the state I love,” Schulz said. “The Intermediate Court of Appeals may be relatively new, but it already is providing a vital role in the administration of justice in West Virginia.
Schulz
| Courtesy photo
"I am the right person to join that panel of judges and continue its mission.”
Schulz is the second person to file papers to run for the position. Charleston attorney Steven Ryan White filed pre-candidacy papers with the Secretary of State's office last week.
Schulz was named the Defense Trial Counsel of West Virginia's Attorney of the Year earlier this year. The DTCWV gives the award to an attorney who makes significant contributions to the defense bar, demonstrates ethical personal and professional conduct consistent with the DTCWV’s and defense bar’s ideals and provides a service to the profession and/or civil defense bar that is truly distinguished. Schulz is currently the president-elect of the DTCWV and leads its amicus and legislative committees.
Schulz, a Wisconsin native, is an attorney at Babst Calland's Charleston office. He received his undergraduate degree from Notre Dame and a master's degree from Virginia before getting his law degree at the College of William and Mary in 1992. He also is the immediate past chairman of the board of Leadership West Virginia, a leadership development program of the West Virginia Chamber of Commerce.
He moved to West Virginia after law school, and he's been here since then. Schulz also is a certified tennis official, and he broadcasts University of Charleston basketball and volleyball games in addition to co-hosting a weekly sports talk radio program.
The ICA, which began hearing cases last year, is a three-judge panel, and each of the judges serve 10-year staggered terms. Schulz is running for the seat occupied by Judge Thomas E. Scarr, who was appointed to a two-year term but has said he won't run for the full 10-year term on the 2024 ballot. Because judicial races in West Virginia are nonpartisan, the winner of the seat will be decided in the May primary election.
“Judge Scarr and the other judges ‒ Chief Judge Dan Greear and Judge Charles Lorensen ‒ have done an exemplary job helping the ICA get started," Schulz said. "I have deep appreciation for Judge Scarr’s public service and hope to continue the example he has set.
“As someone who has been an actively practicing lawyer for decades in West Virginia, I understand and appreciate the critical role the ICA plays in our legal system. The ICA provides important decisions that give all parties and their attorneys guidance and certainty on issues that arise under the law. My education, maturity and statewide experience makes me perfectly suited to join the ICA.”
The ICA hears civil, administrative and workers’ compensation appeals as well as some family court cases. ICA decisions are binding precedent for the decisions of all circuit courts, family courts, magistrate courts and agencies unless it is overruled or modified by the state Supreme Court.