For the first time, Best Lawyers, a respected peer-review publication in the legal profession, has selected “Lawyers of the Year” for 2009 in West Virginia.  Of the four attorneys so recognized, two are partners with the law firm of Bowles Rice.

Sandra M. Murphy has been named as a “Lawyer of the Year 2009” in Banking Law.  Carl D. Andrews is recognized as a “Lawyer of the Year 2009” in Real Estate Law.

The honor, according to Best Lawyers, is based on a particularly high level of recognition and respect from fellow attorneys for their abilities, professionalism and integrity.

Ms. Murphy is a Bowles Rice partner in the Charleston office.  A graduate of Yale University and the Brooklyn Law School, she concentrates her practice in banking law and commercial and financial services.  She is chair of the statewide PIECES Advisory Council, which assists with the planning for early care and education programs for young children in West Virginia.  She is recognized in the area of banking law by the three major peer-review organizations:  Best Lawyers, SuperLawyers and Chambers USA.

Mr. Andrews also is firm partner in the Charleston office.  He focuses his practice in commercial transactions involving all aspects of real estate including land development and construction.  He is the leader of the firm’s real estate group.  He received his undergraduate and law degrees from West Virginia University where he played varsity football for Coach Bobby Bowden.  He also is recognized by Best Lawyers, SuperLawyers and Chambers USA.

Each year, Best Lawyers compiles its lists of outstanding attorneys by conducting peer-review surveys in which thousands of leading lawyers confidentially evaluate their professional peers.  The current, 15th edition of The Best Lawyers in America (2009), is based on more than 2.5 million detailed evaluations of lawyers by other lawyers.  Thirty Bowles Rice attorneys are recognized as Best Lawyers 2009.

Bowles Rice is a regional law firm with more than 120 attorneys and seven offices, located in Charleston, Martinsburg, Morgantown and Parkersburg, West Virginia; Lexington, Kentucky; and Winchester, Virginia.