OF COUNSEL
jsb@ramlaw.com
304-347-8326
304-344-9566
Charleston, WV
Practice Areas
Bio
- Assistant Managing Member, Robinson & McElwee, 1998-2010
- Former Chair, Litigation Department, Robinson & McElwee
- Member, Robinson & McElwee, 1983-present
- Partner, Love, Wise, Robinson & Woodroe, 1976-1983
- Associate, James, Wise, Robinson & Magnuson, 1974-1975
Mr. Beeson primarily practices civil litigation in federal and state courts at the trial and appellate level, with an emphasis on toxic exposure cases, often involving mass torts and class actions.
Mr. Beeson, a founding member of Robinson & McElwee, has more than 40 years of experience as an attorney, including more than 30 years defending clients in asbestos cases. Mr. Beeson has also handled civil litigation cases involving mercury, lead, formaldehyde, silica, acrylamide, perchlorethylene and other toxic substances.
In addition to toxic tort experience, Mr. Beeson is knowledgeable and experienced in “deliberate intent” cases. Mr. Beeson also has extensive experience with regard to major class-action litigation.
Additionally, Mr. Beeson handles litigation in commercial, contract, personal injury, product liability and eminent domain cases.
Mr. Beeson typically represents corporations, including national corporate clients, as well as regional and local corporate clients. He has represented clients in many industries, including the chemical industry and coal industry; manufacturers of plastics and synthetic fibers and manufacturers and suppliers of asbestos-containing products.
Mr. Beeson is a member of the 2022 class of the West Virginia Bar Foundation Fellows.
Experience
- Civil litigation of asbestos and other toxic exposure cases, including mercury, lead, formaldehyde, silica and acrylamide cases.
- More than thirty years of experience litigating asbestos cases representing in excess of 25 different clients, including premises liability clients, manufacturers and suppliers of numerous products and installers of asbestos-containing products.
- Extensive experience in the litigation of “deliberate intent” cases brought by employees against employers in an effort to avoid the employer’s workers’ compensation immunity, a type of personal injury action unique to West Virginia jurisprudence.
- Successful representation of a chemical company in a major class action in federal court in West Virginia.
- Experience in commercial and business-related litigation.
- Litigation of asbestos, commercial, contract, eminent domain, personal injury, product liability, and employer-employee cases, including deliberate intent litigation.
- Provides general counseling to various clients.
- Former Chair of Robinson & McElwee Litigation Department.
- Founding member of Robinson & McElwee.
- “Lawyer of the Year” for Product Liability Litigation – Defendants in Charleston, W.V. by Best Lawyers, 2014
- “Lawyer of the Year” for Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions – Defendants in Charleston, W.V. by Best Lawyers, 2013
- Best Lawyers in America, Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions – Defendants, Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants, and Product Liability Litigation – Defendants, 2008 – Present
- Defense Lawyer of the Year, Defense Trial Counsel of West Virginia, 2015
- AV 5/5 Peer Review Rated, Martindale-Hubbell.
Credentials
- J.D., West Virginia University, 1974
- A.B., cum laude, History, West Virginia Wesleyan College, 1968
- Order of the Barristers
- Order of the Coif
- “Defense Lawyer of the Year” – Defense Trial Counsel of West Virginia, 2015
- “Lawyer of the Year” for Product Liability Litigation – Defendants in Charleston, W.V. by Best Lawyers, 2014
- “Lawyer of the Year” for Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions – Defendants in Charleston, W.V. by Best Lawyers, 2013
- Best Lawyers in America, 2008 – Present
- AV 5/5 Peer Review Rated, Martindale-Hubbell
- The Best Lawyers in West Virginia, Personal Injury Litigation
Bar & Court Admissions
- West Virginia State Bar
- Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia
- United States District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia
- United States District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia
- United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
- United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
Professional Affiliations
- West Virginia Bar Association
- Kanawha County Bar Association
- Defense Research Institute
- Defense Trial Counsel of West Virginia