Monongalia County, WV Lawyers: Injury, Criminal Defense and Civil Cases

By J. Brandon Shumaker  ·  Slavey & Shumaker PLLC  ·  Serving Morgantown and all of Monongalia County  ·  Last updated November 3, 2026

When you are hurt in a crash on I-79 or I-68, charged with a crime in Morgantown, or caught in a dispute over money or property, you need a lawyer who knows West Virginia law and the Monongalia County courts. Slavey & Shumaker PLLC represents clients throughout the State of West Virginia, including Monongalia, Preston, Marion and Harrison Counties, and our attorneys practice regularly in the circuit and magistrate courts of Monongalia County.

We represent clients in every part of the county, including Morgantown, Westover, Star City, Granville and Blacksville, as well as Cheat Lake, Brookhaven, Cassville, Pentress, Sabraton, Osage and Maidsville.

1. How We Help Monongalia County Clients

2. Monongalia County Courts

The Monongalia County Circuit Court and Magistrate Court both sit in the Monongalia County Justice Center in Morgantown, the county seat. Monongalia County is the Twenty-First Judicial Circuit. The City of Morgantown also has its own Municipal Court for citations under city ordinances.

Court locations are from the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia’s Monongalia County court information page. Check your court papers for the exact courtroom and time of any hearing.

3. Car, Truck and Motorcycle Crashes in Monongalia County

Monongalia County is where Interstate 68 begins at Interstate 79, and Morgantown traffic mixes commuters, commercial trucks, WVU students and game-day crowds. We represent people hurt in crashes on roads including:

• Interstate 79, which runs north and south through the county toward Pennsylvania and Fairmont
• Interstate 68, which runs east from I-79 past Morgantown and Cheat Lake toward Maryland
• U.S. 19 and U.S. 119, including the busy corridors through Westover, Star City and Morgantown
• WV 7 through Morgantown and Sabraton
• WV 705, the Patteson Drive corridor near the WVU campus and hospitals
• WV 43, the Mon-Fayette Expressway

Heavy traffic, commercial trucks, pedestrians and steep, winding roads can all play a part in serious crashes. Whatever the cause, the steps after a crash are the same: get medical care, keep the crash report number from the agency that responded, photograph the vehicles and the scene if you can, and be careful about giving a recorded statement to the other driver’s insurance company before talking with a lawyer. Our after-a-crash guide walks through each step.

4. Personal Injury Claims: Deadlines, Fault and Insurance

The same West Virginia law applies to an injury claim from Monongalia County as anywhere else in the state:

• Filing deadline. Most personal injury lawsuits must be filed within two years (W. Va. Code § 55-2-12(b)). Claims involving medical malpractice, government entities and injured children have their own rules, which our personal injury overview explains.
• Shared fault. You can still recover as long as your fault is not greater than the combined fault of everyone else responsible, with your award reduced by your share of fault (§ 55-7-13c(c)).
• Underinsured drivers. If the at-fault driver’s available insurance is not enough to cover all of your damages, underinsured motorist (UIM) coverage you selected may pay the rest, up to your UIM limits. Our car accident page explains how uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage works.

5. Criminal Charges in Monongalia County

Most criminal cases in Monongalia County begin in magistrate court. Magistrate courts have jurisdiction of all misdemeanor offenses committed in the county, conduct preliminary examinations on warrants charging felonies, and set bail (W. Va. Code § 50-2-3). Felony cases are prosecuted in the Monongalia County Circuit Court.

Some citations issued in the city are heard instead in the City of Morgantown Municipal Court at 300 Spruce Street. The city lists charges such as open container, first-offense underage possession or consumption, and false identification among its criminal citations. Pleading to a citation results in a conviction on your record, so it is worth talking with a lawyer before you plead. We also represent West Virginia University students in WVU student conduct proceedings.

We defend people charged with:

• DUI and other traffic offenses
• Drug possession and distribution
• Domestic battery and domestic assault
• Theft and property offenses
• Probation violations and other misdemeanor and felony charges

6. Civil and Consumer Cases

We represent Monongalia County individuals and businesses in contract, business and property disputes, and we defend people who have been sued. Civil actions of not more than $20,000, not counting interest and costs, can be heard in magistrate court; larger claims and disputes over title to real estate go to circuit court (W. Va. Code § 50-2-1). If you have been served with a lawsuit in circuit court, your answer is generally due within 30 days (W. Va. R. Civ. P. 12(a)(1)).

We also represent consumers harassed by debt collectors. The West Virginia Consumer Credit and Protection Act prohibits collectors from using threats, harassment, deception, unreasonable publication or unfair means to collect consumer debts. When a collector violates the Act, a consumer may recover actual damages and a civil penalty of $1,000 per violation (W. Va. Code § 46A-5-101), and the court may award reasonable attorney’s fees (§ 46A-5-104). Learn more on our debt collection harassment page.

7. Working With Our Firm on a Monongalia County Case

Our office is at 174 Chancery Row in downtown Morgantown, adjacent to the Monongalia County Courthouse and a block from the Monongalia County Justice Center. For a Monongalia County case, our attorneys are steps from the courtrooms where it will be decided. We also handle cases in neighboring counties; see our pages for Preston County, Marion County and Harrison County.

• Free consultation. Call (304) 212-5791 or use our contact form to schedule a free initial consultation.
• Telephone consultations. If you cannot travel to Morgantown, we offer consultations by telephone.
• Direct attorney contact. You work directly with the attorneys handling your case.

8. Frequently Asked Questions About Monongalia County Cases

This page is provided for general informational purposes about West Virginia law and is not legal advice. Reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. Every case depends on its own facts, and past results do not guarantee a similar outcome.