2023
Tim Bailey
Attorney , Bailey Javins & Carter , L . C .
Photo by Steve Payne .
DAWN NOLAN
COMING FROM THREE GENERATIONS of coal miners and growing up in the small town of Man , WV , Tim Bailey was encouraged to pursue a career in medicine or law .
“ It was supposedly the ticket out ,” he says .
While he did leave his hometown to further his education , Bailey , an attorney and managing member at Bailey Javins & Carter , L . C ., remained in the state and found purpose serving the hard-working individuals and their families he admired as a boy .
“ Once I made up my mind to be a lawyer , I knew I wanted to practice in West Virginia . I thought my best opportunities would be here , and I am happy to say that my thoughts were
right ,” Bailey says . “ The best thing about working here is that I have made a career representing the people I grew up with .”
Despite his interest in law , Bailey initially went to West Virginia University ( WVU ) to study biology due to concerns about the legal field being oversaturated . However , he recalls a meeting with Ellie Flowers , former placement director for WVU College of Law , that changed his trajectory .
“ She told me she was placing 98 % of her law students right out of school and that trend was not going to change any time soon ,” Bailey says . “ On the issue of there being too many lawyers , she told me something I ’ ll never forget . She looked me right in the eyes and told me there were too many lawyers . But , she said , there aren ’ t enough good ones .”
Bailey went on to earn his degree from WVU in 1988 and WVU College of Law in 1991 . Upon graduation , he was hired at Bowles Rice LLP . While he cited it as a great opportunity , Bailey realized he wanted to be a litigator , and being able to try cases and argue in court in a larger firm would take more time .
“ I also learned that I was more comfortable considering a case from the plaintiff ’ s perspective ,” he says .
After leaving Bowles Rice , Bailey joined Robinson & Rice , a Huntington firm with a large caseload of workers ’ compensation and social security work . Throughout his four years there , Bailey was given freedom to run cases . After some learning curves , he became quite successful and started his own practice in 1995 . Not long after , he was approached by Guy Bucci and now-federal judge , Chuck Chambers , to join their practice , Bucci & Chambers . Bailey describes the merger as a natural fit . The practice would later become Bucci Bailey & Javins , L . C ., and later , Bailey Javins & Carter , L . C .
Like any small business , running a plaintiff ’ s firm has its challenges , and though being a litigator can be stressful , Bailey believes that it is a worthwhile profession .
“ Taking care of a family that has lost all of its earning potential and having them hug you and thank you for believing in them is the best ,” Bailey says . “ Likewise , having the people you work
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WEST VIRGINIA EXECUTIVE