Top Attorneys Providing Full Service Law in WV, PA, VA, NC

Niall A. Paul

Member

Charleston, WV

office 304.340.3874

mobile 304.550.6490

Overview

Services

Distinctions

Admissions

Memberships

Publications & Presentations

Resources

Results

Mr. Paul is leader of the firm's Battle Group, a practice group dedicated to handling high-risk matters heading to trial. His primary areas of practice are trial work, litigation and appellate practice focusing on complex environmental toxic tort litigation, class actions, medical monitoring, commercial and employment litigation.

Education

Bridgewater College of Virginia, B.A. in Philosophy and Religion, cum laude, 1987
University of Richmond, T. C. Williams School of Law, J.D., 1990

Experience

Trying numerous cases to verdict and litigating hundreds of disputes, including environmental, toxic tort, and personal injury claims, unfair trade practices, deliberate intent injury claims, and employment-related jury, bench and administrative trials
One of four lawyers in the nation selected to serve on a "litigation strike force" for an international Fortune 100 company
Serving as co-chair and outside counsel liaison for E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company's "in-house" tort practice group
Often retained as substitute trial counsel in high risk matters
Arguing several class action certification motions, including significant groundwater contamination actions
Counsel at a number of "Daubert" hearings challenging a variety of experts
Arguing numerous cases before various state and federal appellate courts, including an en banc panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit

Appellate Litigation Battle Group-Litigation Chemical Deliberate Intent Litigation Energy Law Environmental Law Labor & Employment Law Litigation Medical Monitoring Natural Resources Product Liability Litigation Shale Gas Law Toxic Tort Litigation

Distinctions

AV® Preeminent™ Peer-Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell
Trial Law Institute
Barrister, Order of Justicia and Order of Certus
Recognized by Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business in Commercial Litigation
Recognized by West Virginia Super Lawyers
Named the Best Lawyers® "Lawyer of the Year" for Litigation - Environmental Law in Charleston, West Virginia for 2022
Nominated by his peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America in the areas of Commercial Litigation, Litigation - Environmental, Litigation - Labor & Employment, Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions - Defendants and Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants
Former Chairman and Chief Judge, City of Charleston Civil Service Commission
Diversity Law Institute

Admissions

West Virginia Bar
Kentucky Bar
Arizona Bar
West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals
Supreme Court of Kentucky
United States Supreme Court
United States District Courts for the Northern and Southern Districts of West Virginia
United States District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky
United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas
United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth and Sixth Circuits

Memberships

Senior Fellow, Litigation Counsel of America, The Trial Lawyer Honorary Society
American Bar Association, Section of Litigation, Labor and Employment Law Section, and a member of the following committees:
- Product Liability (Former Chair of the Chemical & Industrial Products Sub-Committee)
- Corporate Counsel
- Toxic Torts and Environmental Law
International Association of Defense Counsel, Faculty, Trial Academy, 2012

Publications & Presentations

Co-Author, "The Negotiation Class Certification: Should Courts Encourage or Exterminate Innovation?" Tort Trial & Insurance Practice Law Journal, American Bar Association, Spring 2021
Speaker, Litigation Counsel of America 2012 Spring Conference & Induction of Fellows, Santa Barbara, California, May 2012
Speaker, "Trying the Unwinnable Case," Litigation Counsel of America, Renaissance Symposium II, Watercolor, Florida, March 25, 2011
Spoken and published on the trial of complex toxic torts and the aggressive management of discovery in chemical product liability claims, including panels such as "Discovering the New Frontier - Discovery Management in the Age of New Science and New Legal Theories"; "We Win, You Lose - A Critical Look at Case Themes"; and "The Advantages and Disadvantages of Trying a Mass Tort or Class Action in Stages"
Program Chair and organizer of ABA Workshop: 2006 "Contamination Examination - A Regional CLE Workshop on the Changing Face of Chemical Product Liability Claims"; 2007 "The Chemical Products Liability Trial: Winning at Every Stage"; and 2008 "Mass, Class or Pass - Making Strategic Decisions in the Big Chemical Case"
Spoken and published internationally on Sarbanes-Oxley litigation, including a 2003 engagement in London, England
"Client Service in the Twenty-First Century - Finding Profits in Partnering," Texas State Bar Lawyer Boot Camp, 2003

Spilman Attorneys Named to 2023 WV Super Lawyers List Numerous Spilman Attorneys Recognized by Best Lawyers, Lawyers of the Year, Ones to Watch 2023 Spilman Attorneys Named to 2022 WV Super Lawyers List Spilman Attorneys Named to 2021 WV Super Lawyers List 64 Spilman Attorneys Recognized by Best Lawyers Recent Developments in Business Litigation COVID-19 and Unprecedented: Litigation Insights - Issue 10, 2020 Unprecedented: COVID-19 Litigation Trends, Issue 9 Unprecedented: COVID-19 Litigation Trends, Issue 8 Unprecedented: COVID-19 Litigation Trends, Issue 7 Coal Mining Disaster Case Settled During Trial Favorable Verdict Secured for Client Secured Jury Trial Defense Verdicts for Energy Companies Secured Jury Trial Defense Verdicts for International Banks Class Action Dismissed with Prejudice International Energy Company Prevails Against Challenge of Hydraulic Fracturing National Check Guarantee Company Defeats Statewide Injunction Secured Summary Judgment in Proposed 10,000-Member Class Action Client Saves Millions with Spilman

Experience

Trying numerous cases to verdict and litigating hundreds of disputes, including environmental, toxic tort, and personal injury claims, unfair trade practices, deliberate intent injury claims, and employment-related jury, bench and administrative trials

One of four lawyers in the nation selected to serve on a "litigation strike force" for an international Fortune 100 company

Serving as co-chair and outside counsel liaison for E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company's "in-house" tort practice group

Often retained as substitute trial counsel in high risk matters

Arguing several class action certification motions, including significant groundwater contamination actions

Counsel at a number of "Daubert" hearings challenging a variety of experts

Arguing numerous cases before various state and federal appellate courts, including an en banc panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit

Distinctions

AV® Preeminent™ Peer-Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell

Trial Law Institute

Barrister, Order of Justicia and Order of Certus

Recognized by Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business in Commercial Litigation

Recognized by West Virginia Super Lawyers

Named the Best Lawyers® "Lawyer of the Year" for Litigation - Environmental Law in Charleston, West Virginia for 2022

Nominated by his peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America in the areas of Commercial Litigation, Litigation - Environmental, Litigation - Labor & Employment, Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions - Defendants and Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants

Former Chairman and Chief Judge, City of Charleston Civil Service Commission

Diversity Law Institute

Memberships

Senior Fellow, Litigation Counsel of America, The Trial Lawyer Honorary Society

American Bar Association, Section of Litigation, Labor and Employment Law Section, and a member of the following committees:

Product Liability (Former Chair of the Chemical & Industrial Products Sub-Committee)
Corporate Counsel
Toxic Torts and Environmental Law

International Association of Defense Counsel, Faculty, Trial Academy, 2012

Publications & Presentations

Co-Author, "The Negotiation Class Certification: Should Courts Encourage or Exterminate Innovation?" Tort Trial & Insurance Practice Law Journal, American Bar Association, Spring 2021

Speaker, Litigation Counsel of America 2012 Spring Conference & Induction of Fellows, Santa Barbara, California, May 2012

Speaker, "Trying the Unwinnable Case," Litigation Counsel of America, Renaissance Symposium II, Watercolor, Florida, March 25, 2011

Spoken and published on the trial of complex toxic torts and the aggressive management of discovery in chemical product liability claims, including panels such as "Discovering the New Frontier - Discovery Management in the Age of New Science and New Legal Theories"; "We Win, You Lose - A Critical Look at Case Themes"; and "The Advantages and Disadvantages of Trying a Mass Tort or Class Action in Stages"

Program Chair and organizer of ABA Workshop: 2006 "Contamination Examination - A Regional CLE Workshop on the Changing Face of Chemical Product Liability Claims"; 2007 "The Chemical Products Liability Trial: Winning at Every Stage"; and 2008 "Mass, Class or Pass - Making Strategic Decisions in the Big Chemical Case"

Spoken and published internationally on Sarbanes-Oxley litigation, including a 2003 engagement in London, England

"Client Service in the Twenty-First Century - Finding Profits in Partnering," Texas State Bar Lawyer Boot Camp, 2003

Admissions

West Virginia Bar

Kentucky Bar

Arizona Bar

West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals

Supreme Court of Kentucky

United States Supreme Court

United States District Courts for the Northern and Southern Districts of West Virginia

United States District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky

United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas

United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth and Sixth Circuits

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