2024
Jan Dils
Founder & Owner , Jan Dils , Attorneys at Law , LC
Photo by Steve Spencer , Spencer Imageworks .
MEGAN BEVINS
FOR JAN DILS , founder and owner of Jan Dils , Attorneys at Law , LC , helping people has always been the goal .
Born and raised in Parkersburg , WV , Dils grew up in a family who worked in the automotive business . However , after a personal experience with a close family member , she was inspired to choose a different career path .
As a child , Dils watched as her aunt , who was in failing health , was denied Social Security disability . The stress and disappointment Dils observed left a lasting impression on her and urged her to help others in similar situations get the assistance they need .
“ From a young age and through this very moment , I ’ ve always wanted to help people who need someone on their side and who need someone to fight for
them ,” she says .
Dils pursued her undergraduate degree in economics and marketing from Marietta College , graduating in 1990 . She then earned a Master of Business Administration from West Virginia University ( WVU ) in 1991 before attending law school at WVU College of Law , where she graduated in 1994 .
Growing up with parents who were both business owners helped Dils realize at a young age that she would best fit in a work environment where she could make her own decisions .
Early in her career , she worked for an attorney who stopped practicing shortly after she began the job , causing her to move on to another position . There , she practiced alongside two attorneys whose marketing styles did not align with hers . After leaving that position , she decided to open her own firm .
“ I wanted the opportunity to run my practice exactly how I wanted , the way I wanted to progressively market it ,” she says . “ So , due to life circumstances and the passion to run my own business , I went out on my own early in my career .”
The firm initially focused solely on Social Security Disability law to help those in the same situation her aunt faced years before . Over time , she expanded her practice to include Veterans Disability and personal injury law .
“ Fighting for disability claims and personal injury cases is something I ’ ve done every day for 30 years , but for those who are disabled or injured , it ’ s an unfamiliar and scary space to navigate ,” Dils says . “ I love advocating for my clients and getting them the benefits they deserve .”
Being a leader in a male-dominated field , Dils often found herself the only woman in the room , which she saw as both motivational and challenging . Rather than shy away from obstacles , she focused on the needs of her clients and used that as fuel to succeed .
“ Since I was a child , I have had a strong determination to do whatever I have my mind set on ,” she says . “ I have exceptional perseverance to see things through to completion . Of course , I believe in what is just and right , which is why I continue to fight inside and out of the courtroom to get clients the benefits they deserve .”
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WEST VIRGINIA EXECUTIVE