Mark Kinley concentrates his practice in the area of general insurance defense litigation, and has defended a large variety of cases, including motor vehicle accident cases, premises liability cases, arson cases, product liability cases, food adulteration cases, mass tort cases, employer “deliberate intent” cases, and cases against governmental entities and political subdivisions alleging everything from simple negligence to violation of constitutional rights. Additionally, Mr. Kinley has handled a large number of insurance coverage issue matters, rendering coverage opinions to insurance companies, and defended several direct actions against insurance companies alleging “bad faith” and/or violation of the West Virginia Unfair Trade Practices Act/Unfair Claims Settlement Practices Act. Mr. Kinley enjoys trying cases and has tried and/or defended cases in all courts of West Virginia, both state and federal, as well as in the Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit in Richmond, Virginia. After practicing for several years in the Charleston office of the firm, he moved to Wheeling, West Virginia, in 1994 to open Steptoe & Johnson's Wheeling office.
AREAS OF CONCENTRATION
- Personal injury litigation
- First-party contractual litigation
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
1987 Steptoe & Johnson
PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS
- Ohio County Bar Association
- American Bar Association
- Defense Trial Counsel of West Virginia
- Board of Directors, Legal Aid of West Virginia, Inc. (formerly West Virginia Legal Services Plan, Inc.)
- Ohio County Pro Bono Project
INDUSTRY / CIVIC MEMBERSHIPS
- Vestry, St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church
- Financial Committee, St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church
- Volunteer, Food Pantry
AWARDS / HONORS
- Fellow, Litigation Counsel of America
- Senior Editor, Journal of Law and Commerce, University of Pittsburgh
- Semi-finalist, Appellate Moot Court Competition, 1985-86
- Quarter-finalist, Trial Moot Court Competition, 1986
PUBLICATIONS / SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS
- “The ‘Implied Warranty’ Exception in Comprehensive General Liability Insurance: Viewing the Insurer as Surety for the Workmanlike Performance of the Insured,” Volume 6, Issue 2, The Journal of Law and Commerce, University of Pittsburgh School of Law, 1986