J. Tyler Mayhew

Tyler Mayhew serves as Chair of the firm’s Human Resources Department and focuses his practice on labor and employment law, commercial litigation and appellate litigation. Tyler advises employers on human resources and compliance matters, and employment policies.  He also defends employers against claims asserted in court, before administrative tribunals and in arbitration.  He has successfully defended employers from employee discrimination & harassment claims, misclassification claims, wage & hour claims, deliberate intent claims, and wrongful termination claims.

Tyler also represents businesses in complex commercial disputes, and in appellate matters before the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia, the Supreme Court of Virginia and the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. 

Tyler earned his law degree from the West Virginia University College of Law in 2010, where he was president of the WVU Environmental Law Society and a member of The West Virginia Law Review.  Prior to joining Bowles Rice, Tyler clerked for the Hon. David J. Joel, Magistrate Judge for the United States District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia. 

Tyler is a board member of the Eastern Panhandle Society for Human Resource Management (EPSHRM) and the Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce, a member of the Virginia Association of Defense Attorneys (VADA), and a member of the labor & employment sections of both the Defense Trial Counsel of West Virginia (DTCWV) and the Defense Research Institute (DRI).

Representative Experience:

• Obtained defense verdict and sanctions award against plaintiff following a two-week jury trial in a complex employment discrimination and retaliation suit.

• Obtained “no probable cause” findings and dismissals of discrimination, harassment, and retaliation complaints filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the West Virginia Human Rights Commission.

• Prevented putative wage & hour class action against client by compelling individual arbitration of named plaintiff’s claims.

• In a matter of first impression under West Virginia law, compelled arbitration of wrongful death claims against client based on agreement signed by the decedent.

• Obtained dismissal of fraud claim against client, and obtained award of sanctions against plaintiffs for the entire cost of defense.

• Obtained asset freeze and injunction against perpetrator of cyber fraud scheme targeting client.

• Obtained multi-million dollar judgment in favor of client in complex commercial dispute.
• Obtained dismissal on First Amendment grounds of claims against nationally-known newscaster related to news broadcasts.

• Chair, Bowles Rice Human Resources Department (2020-2021)
• Member, Bowles Rice Conflicts Committee
• Member, Bowles Rice Recruiting Committee
• Graduate of Leadership Berkeley, Class of 2020, Martinsburg-Berkeley County Chamber of Commerce
• Graduate of Leadership Jefferson, Class Ten, Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce
• Chairman, Tree Committee, Corporation of Harpers Ferry, WV

• Recognized by The Best Lawyers in America: Ones to Watch (Commercial Litigation; Litigation - Labor and Employment), 2021-present
• Recognized as “Rising Star” by Super Lawyers (Employment & Labor), 2021-present

• Defense Trial Counsel of West Virginia, Employment Law Subcommittee
• Defense Research Institute (DRI)
• Eastern Panhandle Bar Association
• Eastern Panhandle Society for Human Resource Management (EPSHRM)
• Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce

• Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce (Board of Directors)