Fitzsimmons Law Firm PLLC

In 1978, Attorney Robert P. Fitzsimmons established his practice in Warwood, West Virginia. During the firm's early years, it concentrated heavily on criminal defense. In the early 1980s, the firm began handling serious injury and medical malpractice cases.

In 2004, Attorneys Robert J. Fitzsimmons and Brent E. Wear came onboard and have been handling personal injury, medical malpractice, and construction accident cases, in addition to other litigation matters. In 2008, Attorney Clayton J. Fitzsimmons joined the firm. Justin Wiater came on board in 2014. In 2016, Don Kresen became part of the team. In 2017, Mark Colantonio completed the roster of attorneys. The attorneys' collective experience is in excess of 100 years and all live in West Virginia.

Meet our full team of attorneys.
Notable & High Profile Cases

The Fitzsimmons Law Firm PLLC has a longstanding reputation for its litigation and appellate practice. Over the years, the firm has represented numerous individuals and businesses in the state and federal courts, and has won over a Billion Dollars in verdicts and settlements with 190 individual cases.

Several of the firm's cases have received national attention, including Jani (Estate of Mike Webster) v. NFL Bell/Rozelle Pension Fund (4th Cir. 2006). In this case, the firm represented Hall of Fame Pittsburgh Steeler, Mike Webster against the NFL ? the only reported disability lawsuit won against the NFL to date and the first case to successfully prove and recognize that football-related activities can cause Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy

In another noteworthy case, the firm represented West Virginia University in a successful lawsuit against its former football coach, Rich Rodriguez, who left the school to coach at the University of Michigan. Rodriguez settled and agreed to pay the full liquidated damage provision of Four Million Dollars outlined in his employment contract.

The firm represented the Estate of Nancy Gellner in a product liability case involving the drug Propulsid, which was manufactured by Johnson and Johnson. The manufacturer asserted the "learned intermediary doctrine" as its defense; however, the firm convinced the West Virginia Supreme Court to reject it.

Under the "learned intermediary doctrine," the manufacturer is not required to warn each patient of the drugs potentially dangerous side effects if the prescribing physician was properly warned. This was the first time in history that an appellate court had rejected this doctrine, which had been recognized in approximately 33 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.

See all cases we handle.
Notable Recognitions in the Legal Field

Not only is the legal team highly involved in charitable and community activities, they have achieved some of the most sought after accolades in the legal field.

Attorney Bob Fitzsimmons co-founded the Brain Injury Research Institute (BIRI), located at NorthShore University Hospitals in Chicago. He has been consistently recognized as a West Virginia Super Lawyer?, and he is AV Preeminent? Rated by Martindale-Hubbell?.

Attorneys Mark Colantonio, Rocky Fitzsimmons and Brent Wear were selected for inclusion as a West Virginia Super Lawyer and Attorney Clayton Fitzsimmons was selected as a West Virginia Super Lawyer Rising Star.

Locations	No. of Attorneys
Wheeling,	7

Practice Areas	No. of Attorneys
Construction	2
Insurance Coverage	4
Litigation	14
Litigation - General (consumer)	1
Litigation - Health Care	1
Litigation - Insurance	1
Litigation - Labor & Employment	1
Litigation - Mass Torts	2
Litigation - Medical Malpractice	2
Real Estate	1
Transportation	1