Berkeley County Judicial Center
Business Court Division
Suite 2100
380 W. South Street
Martinsburg, WV 25401
304-267-3730 - Lorri Stotler, Administrative Assistant
304-264-1992 - Carol A. Miller, Business Court Executive Director
To search for cases in the Business Court Division, click here.
The Business Court Division has seven judges, who can serve successive seven-year terms. Their terms are staggered. The Business Court Division will serve as a specialized court docket within circuit courts, in seven specific regions (see map).
Any party or judge may seek a referral of Business Litigation to the Division by filing a Motion to Refer to the Business Court Division with the Clerk of the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia. Trial Court Rule 29.06 requires the Chief Justice to review all motions to refer cases to the Business Court Division. The Chief Justice can refer the matter to the Business Court Division for a recommendation and then later grant or refuse the motion. In the alternative, the Chief Justice can act directly on the motion.
Once a case is assigned to the Business Court Division, the Division Chairman will, with advice and consent of the other division judges, assign one of the division judges as the Presiding Judge and may assign Resolution Judges in the case. If the Presiding Judge does not sit in the county where the case is pending, the Presiding Judge is authorized to preside over the case in any county in that region, or in any circuit to which the case is transferred consistent with the division's case management methods.
- APPROVAL OF AMENDMENTS TO TRIAL COURT RULE 29 by order entered June 13, 2014
- Order Approving Trial Court Rule 29
- Order of Chief Justice making appointments and naming a chair
- Order of Chief Justice appointing Hon. Thomas C. Evans, III
- Order of Chief Justice appointing Hon. Russell M. Clawges Jr. and Hon. Paul T. Farrell
- Trial Court Rule 29
- Order of Chief Justice appointing Hon. H. Charles Carl, III
- Order of Chief Justice reappointing Hon. Christopher C. Wilkes as Chair of the Business Court Division
- Order of Chief Justice appointing Hon. Joanna Tabit
- Order of Chief Justice appointing Hon. James A. Matish
Annual Reports
 2013 |
 2014 |
 2015 |
Panel Members
The West Virginia Business Court Division Judges.
Back Row (L to R): Twenty-Fourth Judicial Circuit (Wayne County) Judge James H. Young, Jr.; Twenty-Second Judicial Circuit (Hampshire, Hardy and Pendleton Counties) Judge H. Charles Carl, III; Twenty-Third Judicial Circuit (Berkeley, Jefferson, and Morgan Counties) Judge Christopher C. Wilkes, the Division Chairman; and Sixth Judicial Circuit (Cabell County) Judge Paul T. Farrell.
Front Row (L to R): Seventeenth Judicial Circuit (Monongalia County) Judge Russell M. Clawges, Jr.; and Thirteenth Judicial Circuit (Kanawha County) Judge Joanna I. Tabit
Not Pictured: Fifth Judicial Circuit (Calhoun, Jackson, Mason, and Roane Counties) Judge Thomas C. Evans, III, Fifteenth Judicial Circuit (Harrison) Judge James A. Matish.
The Honorable Christopher C. Wilkes (Chairman), Judge of the Twenty-Third Judicial Circuit (Term expires October 9, 2019)
The Honorable Joanna I. Tabit, Judge of the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit (Term expires October 9, 2019)
The Honorable Thomas C. Evans, III, Judge of the Fifth Judicial Circuit (Term expires October 9, 2019)
The Honorable James H. Young Jr., Judge of the Twenty-Fourth Judicial Circuit (Term expires December 31, 2019)
The Honorable Russell M. Clawges Jr., Judge of the Seventeenth Judicial Circuit (Term expires September 30, 2020)
The Honorable Paul T. Farrell, Judge of the Sixth Judicial Circuit (Term expires September 30, 2020)
The Honorable H. Charles Carl, III, Judge of the Twenty-Second Judicial Circuit (Term expires June 30, 2022)
The Honorable James A. Matish, Judge of the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit (Term expires October 9, 2019)