2023
Thomas V . Flaherty
Founding Member , Flaherty Sensabaugh Bonasso PLLC
Photo by John Sibold .
ARIANNA WHITEHAIR
RAISED AS ONE OF FOUR CHILDREN in a hardworking family on Wheeling Island in Wheeling , WV , Thomas Flaherty always knew he wanted to attend college and give back to his community , just as he saw his parents do for others growing up .
“ My father was a master machinist working in the steel mills and foundries of the upper Ohio Valley , and my mother was a homemaker ,” he says . “ Both were children of the Great Depression , and although they valued education , neither finished high school . Instead , they worked in blue-collar jobs to help support their parents and siblings . I learned my blue-collar work ethic from my father and a sense of human decency and compassion instilled by both my parents .”
Having received his bachelor ’ s degree in business administration from West
Virginia University ( WVU ) in 1971 , Flaherty went on to attend WVU College of Law and graduated with his Juris Doctor in 1974 .
“ The Vietnam War was still raging , and admission to law school was very competitive in 1971 ,” he says . “ There were over 900 applicants for 100 spots in the incoming class . My class was the last to graduate from the College of Law on the main downtown campus , which is now Colson Hall . Men were expected to wear a coat and tie to class . We had classes six days a week during the first year . There were only five women in my law school class . The class of 1974 produced three West Virginia Supreme Court justices , no less than five circuit judges , the president of a major university and the CEO of a Fortune 100 company .”
Right after graduating , Flaherty went to work for Kay Casto & Chaney PLLC in Charleston . During his time there , Flaherty gained crucial work experience and was given the opportunity to work alongside one of the top trial lawyers in the state , John Haight .
“ He was a great mentor to me ,” Flaherty says . “ I learned a great deal from John about trial work , and it turned out I was pretty good at it . He gave me a gift I can never repay .” Haight wasn ' t Flaherty ’ s only mentor . “ My first job in the field of law was working as a law student for future Supreme Court Justice Larry Starcher at the North Central West Virginia Legal Aid Society . Like John Haight , Larry was a wonderful mentor to me and a lifelong friend until his death late last year ,” he says .
In 1991 , Flaherty , Don Sensabaugh and Mike Bonasso came together to form Flaherty Sensabaugh Bonasso PLLC , which has become one of the top firms in the state and serves the needs of local , national and international clients .
“ Our firm grew to become the largest litigation firm in West Virginia ,” he says . “ We now have offices in Charleston , Clarksburg , Morgantown , Wheeling and Lexington , KY .”
With the ultimate goal of making the situations of its clients easier , Flaherty Sensabaugh Bonasso prides itself on carefully listening to each client ’ s needs and providing quality , effective service based on smart strategy and decisive action .
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WEST VIRGINIA EXECUTIVE