Bryan Cokeley concentrates his practice in the area of employment and labor law. In addition to counseling employers, Mr. Cokeley has tried more than 30 cases in the state and federal courts of West Virginia. He has also appeared before administrative agencies such as the West Virginia Human Rights Commission and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Mr. Cokeley is the leader of the firm’s Labor & Employment Practice Group.
REPRESENTATIVE EXPERIENCE
- Defended employers and individuals in more than 75 sexual harassment cases
- Tried more than a dozen actions before the administrative law judges of the West Virginia Human Rights Commission on various claims of age, race, gender, and disability discrimination
- Counseled employers on a variety of state and federal employment laws, including the ADA, FMLA, FLSA, OWBPA, WARN, and NLRA
- Handled dozens of claims before the West Virginia Human Rights Commission and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
- Took more than 30 jury trials to verdict in state and federal courts
AREAS OF CONCENTRATION
- Employment law
- Discrimination litigation
- Deliberate intent actions
- Employer counseling
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
1988 Steptoe & Johnson
1985-1988 Law Clerk, Honorable Charles H. Haden,
Chief Judge, U.S. District Court for the
Southern District of West Virginia
PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS
- Society of Human Resource Management
- Employment Law Committee, West Virginia State Bar
INDUSTRY/ CIVIC MEMBERSHIPS
- Human Resource Committee, West Virginia Chamber of Commerce
- West Virginia Coal Association
- Fundraising Committee, Kanawha County Public Library
- Friends of the Kanawha Trestle, Inc.
AWARDS / HONORS
- Chambers USA America’s Leading Lawyers for Business
- The Best Lawyers in America®
- Senior Articles Editor, West Virginia Law Review
- Order of the Coif
- Graduated summa cum laude, with Phi Beta Kappa honors, West Virginia University
PUBLICATIONS / SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS
- West Virginia’s New Workers’ Compensation Anti-Discrimination Provision: “The Road to Court is Paved with Good Intentions,” 94 W. Va. Law Review 725 (Spring 1992)
- Mr. Cokeley is an active lecturer on employment law, having spoken on the Americans with Disabilities Act, wrongful discharge, employee handbooks, workers' compensation discrimination, the unionization process, and sexual harassment.