Christopher J. Sears

Member

Christopher J. Sears has been practicing law with Shuman, McCuskey & Slicer, PLLC since 1999.  Mr. Sears draws on his rich and diverse life experiences in analyzing legal problems, furthering the interests of his clients, and dealing with the many personalities encountered in litigation and the practice of law.  He has developed a broad practice, including defense cases involving products liability, personal injury, deliberate intent, workers' compensation, labor and employment, professional malpractice, and bank operations and lender liability.  He also provides services in the areas of estate planning, appellate advocacy, insurance coverage opinions, and presentations on legal issues that arise in special education and school law.

Mr. Sears is a native of Parkersburg, West Virginia.  As an undergraduate in the West Virginia University (WVU) system, Mr. Sears served as a representative in the Student Administration at the Parkersburg branch and was a member of WVU's Bureau of Finance in Morgantown.  For his work in Parkersburg, he was awarded the National Collegiate Student Government Award.  While at WVU, Mr. Sears was a member of the debate team and represented the University in numerous competitions at colleges and universities on the East Coast.  He was also a Resident Assistant, was named to the National Dean's List, remained active with the Leadership Institute in Washington, D.C., and was President of the school's largest student political organization.  During this time, Mr. Sears also worked at the United States Department of Treasury in the Bureau of the Public Debt.

After graduating with a Bachelor's in Political Science, Mr. Sears worked on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. for a United States Senator.  He then moved to Columbus, Ohio where he assisted with the re-election campaign of the Governor of Ohio.  Upon returning to West Virginia, Mr. Sears then served as a staff member for the West Virginia House of Delegates.

While in graduate school working on his M.B.A., Mr. Sears worked for WVU's Vice President of Housing and Residence Life, where he maintained an electronic information system for the payroll personnel division covering thousands of employees and a payroll of millions of dollars.  He was then assigned to WVU's Expert Business Office where he assisted in the analysis of 13 departments with multi-million dollar budgets and helped develop cost saving strategies through reorganization, downsizing, and attrition.  Also during graduate school, Mr. Sears served as a research assistant where he conducted survey research pertaining to biomass fuel efficiency that assessed needs, problems, and fuel usage to eastern U.S. companies.  This research benefited the Morgantown Energy Technology Center (METC), a division of the U.S. Department of Energy.

While in law school, Mr. Sears served as Managing Editor of the West Virginia Law Review, was a finalist in the West Virginia Lugar Invitational trial advocacy competition, was a Public Service Volunteer, and had an article published in Volume 100 of the West Virginia Law Review.  He also was a substitute teacher in the Wood County School system.

Mr. Sears and his wife Melissa have two children and attend Morris Memorial United Methodist Church in Charleston, West Virginia.

Bar Admissions

• West Virginia, 1999
• Ohio, 2008
• U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit, 1999
• U.S. District Court, Southern District of West Virginia, 1999
• U.S. District Court, Northern District of West Virginia, 2002

Education

• J.D., West Virginia University College of Law
  • Honors: Finalist, West Virginia Lugar Invitational (Trial Advocacy Competition)
  • Law Review: West Virginia Law Review, Managing Editor
• M.B.A., West Virginia University
• B.A., West Virginia University
  • Major:  Political Science
• Menendez Pelayo International University, Santander, Spain

Professional Associations and Memberships

• West Virginia State Bar Association
• Kanawha County Bar Association
• Defense Research Institute
• Defense Trial Counsel of West Virginia
• Republican State Executive Committee of West Virginia (Associate Counsel)

Published Works

• "Clinton v Jones: The King Has No Clothes (Nor Absolute Immunity to Boot)," 100 W. Va. L. Rev. 493, 1997

Classes/Seminars Taught

• Special Education Workshop "Conducting Legally Defensible I.E.P. Meetings, Providing Testimony, and Witnessing," RESA-IV Meeting, Charleston, WV, December 9, 1999
• Special Education Workshop "Conducting Legally Defensible I.E.P. Meetings, Providing Testimony, and Witnessing," RESA-V Meeting, Parkersburg, WV, March 5, 2001