Jane E. Harkins

Jane E. Harkins was born in Charleston, West Virginia.  She received her undergraduate degree in 1988 from Alderson-Broaddus College in Philippi, West Virginia, and her Juris Doctorate degree in 1991 from West Virginia University College of Law.  She is admitted to practice before the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals and the United States District Court for the Northern and Southern districts of West Virginia.  Her legal practice, while based in Beckley, West Virginia, has given her extensive experience throughout West Virginia.

Ms. Harkins maintains an extensive practice in construction and property damage litigation, both residential and commercial, and she represents individuals and companies involved in the construction industry.  She also has an on-going involvement in personal injury defense. Earlier in her career, Jane was active in the defense of toxic and mass tort litigation, such as flooding, tobacco, and breast implants. She also enjoys real estate work.  She is an experienced mediator and is a Mental Health Commissioner in Raleigh County.

Ms. Harkins is a member of the Board of Governors of Bridgemont Community and Technical College and is a member of the Board of Trustees for her alma mater, Alderson Broaddus University

Ms. Harkins enjoys a wide variety of activities outside of the legal environment.  She is the vocalist for the New River Jazz Band and the Chris Oxley Jazz Quartet.  She volunteers with Read-A-Loud West Virginia, reading to children in a local elementary school.  She has been active in local theater and dance productions.  Ms. Harkins lives on a small farm with her husband, Doug Cochran, where they raise beef cattle.  She likes to travel, cook, and read in her spare time.

Current Employment Position(s):

Member, since 2008

Areas of Practice:

Construction/Property Damage

Personal Injury

Employer Liability/Deliberate Intent

Mass and Toxic Torts

Insurance Coverage

Infancy/Incompetency Settlements

Mental Health

Elder and Child Law

Real Estate

Mediation

Litigation Percentage:

90% of Practice Devoted to Litigation

Bar Admissions:

West Virginia, 1992

U.S. District Court Southern District of West Virginia, 1992

U.S. District Court Northern District of West Virginia, 2003

Education:

West Virginia University College of Law, Morgantown, West Virginia, 1991
J.D.

Alderson-Broaddus College, Philippi, WV, USA, 1988
B.A.
Major:  Technical Writing

Honors and Awards:

• BV® Distinguished™ Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell®

Published Works:

Fanning Arson’s Flames: The Doctrine of Innocent Insureds in West Virginia, Defense Trial Counsel of West Virginia Index, 1992

Representative Cases:

Cole v. Fairchild, 482 S.E.2d 913 (W. Va. 1996)

Town of Fayetteville v. Law, 495 S.E.2d 843 (W. Va. 1997)

West Virginia-Ohio Valley Area I.B.E.W. Welfare Fund v. American Tobacco Co., 29 F.Supp.2d 733 (  1998)

West Virginia Laborer’s Pension Trust Fund v. Philip Morris, Inc., 1998 WL 964983 (  1998)

In re: Flood Litigation, 607 S.E.2d 863 (W. Va. 2004)

Ashworth v. Albers Medical, Inc., 410 F. Supp.2d 471 (  2005)

Ashworth v. Albers Medical, Inc., 229 F.R.D. 527 (  2005)

Ashworth v. Albers Medical, Inc., 395 F.Supp.2d 395 (  2005)

Lane v. Prima Marketing, LLC, 2008 WL 793642 (S.D. W. Va. 2008)

Dickens v. Sahley Realty Co., Inc., 233 W.Va. 150, 756 S.E.2d 484 (2014)

Schoolhouse, LLC v. Creekside Owners Assn., etal., 2014 WL 1847829 (2014)

Representative Clients:

ALPS (Attorney Liability Protection Society)

Allstate Insurance Company of Canada

CNA Insurance Companies

CSX Corporation

Erie Insurance Company

Esurance

Farmers & Mechanics Mutual Insurance Company of West Virginia

GEICO (General Insurance Company)

Hartford ITT Insurance Company

Horace Mann Insurance Company

Liberty Mutual Insurance Company

Oak Casualty Company

The Ohio Casualty Company

OMNI Insurance Company

Penn National Insurance Company

Philadelphia Insurance Companies

Safeco Insurance Company

Shand Morhan & Company, Inc.

State Auto Insurance Company

State Farm Insurance Companies

The Travelers Indemnity Company

Wausau Insurance Company

Professional Associations and Memberships:

Raleigh County Bar Association

Member

American Bar Association

Member

West Virginia State Bar

Member

West Virginia Bar Association

Member

Defense Trial Counsel of West Virginia

Member

Defense Research Institute

Member

Past Employment Positions:

File, Payne, Scherer & Brown, Beckley, WV, Associate, 1991 – 1994

Brown, Levicoff & McDyer, Beckley, WV, Associate, 1994 – 1996

Brown & Levicoff, PLLC, Associate, 1996 – 2004

Brown & Levicoff, PLLC, Partner, 2005 – 2008

Circuit Court of Kanawha County, WV, Mediator

West Virginia Human Rights Commission, Panel Mediator

Birth Information:

Charleston, West Virginia