Lewis Gianola PLLC

Where the firm works and who it serves

The practice runs from two offices in West Virginia, one in Charleston and one in Morgantown. Its work reaches clients in West Virginia, Ohio, Kentucky, and Pennsylvania. The firm describes what it does as litigation, transactional, and regulatory services, which is a wide span for a regional practice.

The client list the firm publishes is broad. It names businesses, individuals, nonprofit and charitable organizations, public-private partnerships, and government agencies. Past clients have included banks and trust services, telecommunications providers, retailers, technology companies, and real estate developers. The list also runs to construction companies, manufacturers, coal mine operators, oil and gas businesses, health care providers, insurance companies, and homeowners and condominium associations.

In my opinion, that mix says something useful. It points to a practice used to industry-specific questions in energy, health care, and real estate, rather than one built around a single kind of case.

Focus and practice areas

The firm lists a long set of practice areas, and they fall into a few natural groups.

Business, transactions, and disputes

On the business side, the firm handles business organization, operation, and compliance, along with mergers, acquisitions, and capital formation. It also covers commercial transactions and regulatory compliance and taxation.

Litigation sits alongside that transactional work. The site names business and commercial litigation, and it lists bankruptcy and collections as a related area. For clients who want to resolve disputes outside court, the firm offers mediation and arbitration.

Property, planning, and related work

Property work features across both offices. The firm handles commercial and residential real estate, plus real estate financing and development. Energy transactions appear as their own area, which fits a state where coal, oil, and gas remain part of the economy.

Personal and family planning rounds out the list. The firm works on trusts, estates, and wealth planning, and on wills, trusts, and estate administration. Employment law and health care law are named as well, and the firm states that it provides government relations services.

How the team is built

Seventeen attorneys are listed on the firm's People page. Several have published enough detail to show how the roster is put together.

Leadership and long service

James A. "Rocky" Gianola is a Member and the Managing Partner, based in Morgantown. He earned a B.S. in Accounting, cum laude, from West Virginia University in 1979 and a J.D. from West Virginia University College of Law in 1982. His work covers business and commercial law, business organizations, trusts and estates, real estate, taxation, and zoning and land use.

Webster J. Arceneaux III is Of Counsel. He took both his undergraduate degree and his J.D. at West Virginia University, and he practiced for more than 30 years with the predecessor firm Lewis Glasser. Early in his career he clerked for Justice Thomas Miller of the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia. His practice includes commercial litigation and labor matters.

Transactional and planning attorneys

Matthew R. Bowles is a Member in Charleston. He earned a B.A. in Political Science, magna cum laude, from Bowling Green State University in 2004, and a J.D. with high honors from the University of Tennessee College of Law in 2007. His work centers on business and transactional matters, with attention to energy, health care, and tax-exempt entities.

Roy H. Cunningham, also a Member in Charleston, holds a J.D. from West Virginia University College of Law and an LL.M. from the University of Denver School of Law, following a B.A. from West Virginia University. He concentrates on estate planning, estate and trust litigation, and taxation, including the preparation of wills and living trusts.

James M. Becker practices in Charleston on business and corporate law, mergers and acquisitions, and closely held businesses. He graduated from West Virginia University College of Law in 2017.

Litigation and other practices

David M. Jecklin is a member in the Morgantown office. He received a Bachelor of Arts in Radio and Television from Southern Illinois University in 1991, and he served on the West Virginia University College of Law National Moot Court Team from 2003 to 2004. His practice includes criminal defense, litigation and appeals, plaintiff personal injury, and real estate.

The remaining attorneys, among them John R. Bsharah, Mark R. Burdette, Thomas G. Casto, Spencer D. Elliott, Richard L. Gottlieb, and Andrew W. Holbrook, appear on the People page with fewer public details on the pages we reviewed.

A history built through merger

The firm states a history of more than 70 years. It was formed through the merger of Gianola Barnum & Jecklin P.C. and Lewis Glasser PLLC. The current name and the presence of long-serving attorneys from Lewis Glasser line up with that account.

The site does not give a single founding year, so the figure of more than 70 years is the firm's own summary of a longer story rather than a date I can point to. As a reviewer, I read the merger as one reason the practice spans both business transactions and courtroom work, since each predecessor brought its own footing.

What this means for prospective clients

For a business or an individual in West Virginia or a neighboring state, the draw here is range within one firm. A client can address a transaction, a dispute, an estate plan, or a regulatory question without moving between separate practices.

The two-office setup matters for reach. Charleston is the state capital and a center for regulatory and government work, while Morgantown anchors the northern part of the state. Having attorneys in both places gives the firm a presence in each.

In my opinion, the clearest signal in the public material is depth of experience. A managing partner admitted in the early 1980s, an Of Counsel attorney with a clerkship and more than three decades of practice, and Members holding advanced degrees in tax and business point to a settled, experienced group. Prospective clients will still want to confirm current details, such as bar admissions and current availability, directly with the firm before they retain it.