courts. Over 13 years, Taylor represented hundreds of children navigating difficult, high-stress family dynamics.
“ I’ m now seeing those kids I served more than 10 years ago as grown-ups in my community, and it’ s a humbling experience,” Taylor says.“ They remember everything. These routine interactions that we, as lawyers, have with them and all our clients are formative, watershed moments in their lives. Especially involving children, we have a duty to approach every case with the utmost care and consideration, no matter how exhausting it becomes. Anything less leaves unnecessary scarring. That’ s unacceptable.”
Eventually, Taylor opened his own practice where he now works alongside his partner, Amber Hinkle, and his wife, Mandy, who he considers the best attorney he knows. Now, Taylor uses his law degree in a highly strategic way, focusing primarily on transactional estate and commercial work. He defines his ultimate goal as conflict avoidance.
“ Lawyers should fix, not destroy,” Taylor says.“ It’ s my job to listen to my clients, spot ambiguities and potential conflicts and resolve them before they arise. With estate work, you can see potential problems brewing from a mile away, and you have the power to wipe that clean. Death is a tough business, and people compartmentalize grief in strange ways. Throw money into the equation, and you have a recipe for volatility.”
By doing this, Taylor provides a vital service that preserves relationships and local business assets. Serving as the board president for Legal Aid of West Virginia, Taylor uses his legal background to guide organizational strategy, expand access to justice and handle multiple cases a year for those West Virginians who need it most.
In 2016, he became a founding member and board president of the WV Collective, a nonprofit performing arts
program in Southern West Virginia. The organization hosts children’ s theater camps and casts young adults in high-quality local productions.
“ The WV Collective and its people are one of the things I’ m most proud of,” Taylor says.“ It’ s satisfying to see these kids come together and find themselves, along with a shared cultural identity, through the arts. Some of them have graduated from our program and went on to pursue the arts in higher education. These are kids I’ ve seen grow, and eventually thrive, due in part to the work we do.”
Looking ahead, Taylor remains deeply rooted to helping West Virginia. He is focused on living a purposeful life, ensuring he can raise a son who looks at his path and sees him as a model he can look up to.
“ I’ ve thrown my lot in with this state, and I’ m going to work, kicking and screaming, to try to make it a place my kid doesn’ t have to leave when he hits 18,” he says.
Through his dedication to service and community, Taylor is ensuring the people who live in the state have every reason to be proud to call West Virginia home. •
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