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Jeffrey V. Kessler
Jeffrey V. Kessler was born on November 16, 1955, in Wheeling, West Virginia.
Jeff graduated from Bishop Donahue High School in 1974 and from West Liberty State College with highest honors in December 1977, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in both Economics and Political Science.
Thereafter, he attended the West Virginia University College of Law, where he earned his law degree in May 1981. Since that time, Mr. Kessler has practiced law in Moundsville, West Virginia. He is a founding partner in the law firm of Berry, Kessler, Crutchfield, Taylor & Gordon. In his legal practice, Jeff served as City Solicitor for the City of Benwood and as Municipal Court Judge for the City of McMechen. He served as an Assistant Prosecuting Attorney in Marshall County from 1985 to 2000 and as a Special Prosecutor in Ohio and Wetzel Counties.
Jeff is admitted to practice law in all of the Courts of the State of West Virginia, as well as the Northern and Southern United States District Courts of West Virginia. He engages in a general practice of law with an emphasis in injury and insurance litigation, small business and commercial representation, real estate, and elder law. He has successfully obtained several multi-million-dollar verdicts & settlements on behalf of his clients.
On November 10, 1997, Jeff was appointed to the West Virginia State Senate for the Second Senatorial District. He was re-elected to the office in 1998, 2000, 2004, 2008, and 2012. Senator Kessler served as Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee & as Vice Chairman of the Senate during the 2003 session. He has served as Vice-Chairman of the Senate Banking & Insurance Committee and as Vice-Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Economic Development. On January 12, 2011, he was elected as the first Acting President in the history of the West Virginia Senate. In 2012 he was elected as Senate President, holding the statutory title of Lt. Governor. He most recently served as the Senate Minority Leader.
Senator Kessler currently serves on the Board of Directors of WVU, Reynolds Memorial Hospital, and the Community Foundation of the Ohio Valley; and formerly served on boards of the United Way, BB&T Bank, OVREDC, and the Wheeling Area Chamber of Commerce. He is the chair of the State Bar District 2 Character Committee and a former member of the West Virginia Law Institute and the WVU College of Law Visiting Committee.
Jeff resides in Glen Dale and has four sons, Jacob, Jackson, Hastings, and Griffin. He is a member of St. Jude Church.
Eric M. Gordon
Eric M. Gordon is the son of Donald L. Gordon and Carolyn L. Gordon. He is a lifelong resident of Moundsville, West Virginia.
Eric is a 1987 graduate of Bishop Donahue High School. He graduated from Ohio Dominican College (now University), in 1991 having majored in political science with Scholar-Athlete Honors. In 1994, Eric also graduated with his Doctor of Jurisprudence from Capital University Law School.
In 1994, Eric was admitted to the West Virginia Bar and has served on the U.S. District Court Northern District West Virginia as well as the U.S. District Court Southern District West Virginia.
Eric began his employment with Berry, Kessler, Crutchfield & Taylor in 1994 and became a partner in the firm in 2007. In 1998, he began working as an Assistant Prosecuting Attorney for the Marshall County Prosecutor’s Office. He is also employed as the attorney for the City of Benwood, West Virginia.
Eric’s primary areas of practice are personal injury, mine subsidence, negotiating the sale and/or lease of coal, oil & gas rights, and real estate law including specifically preparations of deeds, land contracts, and the performance of title exams.
Eric is married to the former Janice M. Lilly and has two sons Dylan R. Ebert and Nicholas A. Ebert.
Diana Crutchfield
Diana graduated from West Virginia University with a B.A. in political science cum laude, in 1980. In 1983 she received her Doctor of Jurisprudence from the West Virginia University College of Law.
Diana joined the firm in 1988. She is admitted to practice before the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals and all West Virginia courts. In addition, Diana is also admitted to practice in the following federal courts: the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, the U.S. District Court, and the Northern and Southern Districts of West Virginia
From 2004 to 2017, Diana served as a Professor of Criminal Justice at West Liberty University.
From 1989-2000, Diana served as an Assistant Prosecuting Attorney for Marshall County. She has been an on-air legal analyst for WTRF from 1994 to the present.
Diana is married to Jim Crutchfield who is the Nova Southeastern University head men’s basketball coach.
Adam E. Barney
Adam is a 1998 graduate of Steubenville High School. Upon graduation, he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps and served honorably from July 1998, until July 2002. During his service, Adam received two Certificates of Commendation, a Navy and Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, and two meritorious promotions.
Adam continued his education while serving in the Marines at Campbell University where he received an Associate of Arts in Social Sciences. He then attended West Liberty University and earned a Bachelor of Science with a concentration in Political Science. Adam graduated Cum Laude from West Liberty University and was the recipient of the 2009 Kenneth B. McMillen Social Science Merit Award.
Adam received his legal education at the West Virginia University College of Law, earning his Doctor of Jurisprudence in 2012. During his time at the College of Law, Adam served as Treasurer/Secretary of the Veteran’s Law Caucus (2010-2011) and as Vice President of the Veteran’s Law Caucus (2011-2012). He was awarded the CALI Award for Excellence in Constitutional Law.
Upon his admission to the West Virginia State Bar, Adam joined the Law Offices of Berry, Kessler, Crutchfield, Taylor & Gordon as an associate attorney where his practice includes bankruptcy, personal injury, family law, contracts, real estate, wills, and estates, and oil and gas matters. In addition to his position with the firm, Adam also serves as an Assistant Prosecutor for Marshall County. He is a former President of the Marshall County Bar Association, a former member of the West Virginia State Bar Board of Governors, and previously served as an Adjunct Lecturer in Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure, and Constitutional law at West Liberty University.
Adam is married to the former Marygrace Muklewicz and has four children, Samantha, William, Nicholas, and Stephanie.
Andrea Poling
Andrea is a lifelong resident of Marshall County, WV. She is a 2005 graduate of John Marshall High School and a former Miss West Virginia Teen USA. Andrea attended West Virginia University where she received a Bachelor of Science degree in political science and a minor in sociology in 2009. After college Andrea moved to Arizona where she obtained her law degree from Arizona Summit Law School in 2013.
Andrea returned to West Virginia after law school and began employment with a private firm in Wheeling where she primarily practiced family law and criminal defense. She is admitted to practice law before the United States District Courts for the Northern and Southern Districts of West Virginia. Andrea is also a certified Family Court mediator.
In 2015 she became the Assistant Prosecuting Attorney for Marshall County, WV, and an associate attorney at Berry, Kessler, Crutchfield, Taylor, and Gordon. Her primary areas of practice are mediation, estates, mine subsidence, oil and gas, real estate law, personal injury, deeds, and land contracts.