Fairmont, WV

Frances C. Whiteman

Frances C. Whiteman specializes in Corporate and Commercial Litigation, Personal Injury, Criminal and Juvenile Defense, Public Utility Law, and Local Government Representation. She was raised in Keyser, West Virginia, and earned a Bachelor of Science in Journalism and a Master of Public Administration from West Virginia University. She attended Capital University Law School, earning a Juris Doctor degree in 1992, where she was Research Editor on the Law Review and inducted into the Order of the Curia. She has practiced law in Fairmont since October 1992 and is licensed in West Virginia, North Carolina, and the Northern and Southern Federal Court Districts of West Virginia. She is a member of the Fairmont Rotary Club, the Marion County Bar Association, and the Monongalia County Bar Association, and serves on the Board of Directors for the Fairmont Renaissance Corporation and the New Mystics Center for Arts and Education. She has been consistently successful in appellate practice in the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals.

Forrest A. Bowen

Forrest A. 'Andy' Bowen is a partner at Higinbotham & Higinbotham. He graduated cum laude from Marshall University in 1993 and from West Virginia University College of Law in 1997. He has practiced law for over twenty-two years in West Virginia State and Federal Courts, focusing primarily on personal injury. He is also a mediator and was recently named one of the Top 100 trial lawyers in the United States.

Jo Marie Pitrolo

Jo Marie Pitrolo is a Fairmont native who graduated from West Virginia University with a B.S.B.A. in Finance in 1981 and from West Virginia University College of Law in 1984. She joined Higinbotham & Higinbotham in 1984 and her practice now concentrates on personal injury litigation. She is admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia and the Northern and Southern District Courts of West Virginia.

Sean J. Sawyer

Sean J. Sawyer is a partner and co-owner at Higinbotham & Higinbotham. He graduated cum laude from Fairmont State University in 1994 with a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice and earned his law degree from West Virginia University College of Law in 1997. He specializes in various personal injury litigations and is admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of the United States of America, Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, and District Courts of West Virginia.

Joey Garcia

Joey Garcia has been admitted to practice law in West Virginia for over thirteen years. He practices primarily in the areas of personal injury litigation, including car accidents, commercial truck accidents, medical malpractice, workplace injuries, and wrongful death. Joey also practices in the areas of civil rights law, lemon law, and criminal defense. Upon graduation, Joey practiced law for three years with a corporate defense firm, and dedicated the next five years of his career to public service in the Office of the Governor of the State of West Virginia. Governor Earl Ray Tomblin appointed Joey to serve as Deputy General Legal Counsel and Director of Legislative Affairs from 2012 to 2017. Upon his inauguration, Governor Jim Justice appointed Joey to serve as his Senior Counsel for Legislation and Policy through October of 2017. In these roles, Joey advised the Governor on legal issues, and he developed and advocated for the passage of various legislative and policy initiatives. Joey has served two terms as a member of the West Virginia House of Delegates, representing Fairmont and Marion County. He currently serves in the 76th delegate district, which includes West Fairmont, Rivesville, Grant Town, Barrackville, Fairview, Baxter, and Farmington. Joey graduated with a law degree from the West Virginia University College of Law in 2009. During law school, Joey served as Chief Justice of the Moot Court Board, elected by his peers, and he earned the distinction of Order of the Barristers for excellence in oral advocacy. Joey won the award for Best Written Brief in the 2008 WVU Baker Cup Competition. Joey also served as Public Interest Advocate Fellow and he assisted individuals at the WVU Immigration Clinic. Joey is a graduate of Fairmont Senior High School, Class of 2001. He founded Garcia Law PLLC to protect the rights of injured people against the bullies of the world to achieve justice for them and their families.

Kristine A. Burdette

Kristine A. Burdette specializes in Family Law, Litigation, Domestic Relations, and Tort Litigation. She was born in Charleston, West Virginia, and received her Bachelor of Arts from West Virginia State University in 1994. She earned her Juris Doctorate degree from West Virginia University College of Law and was admitted to the West Virginia bar in 1998, as well as the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia. She is a member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum.