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Menis E. Ketchum II

West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals
  • Personal Injury
  • West Virginia
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Biography

Justice Menis Ketchum was elected to a full twelve-year term of the Supreme Court of Appeals on November 4, 2008. He served as Chief Justice in 2012. Justice Ketchum was born in 1943 in Huntington, West Virginia, and was raised in Wayne County. He was educated in Wayne County public schools before attending Ohio University in Athens, Ohio, where he played varsity baseball and was a member of the 1964 Mid-American Conference Championship Baseball Team. Justice Ketchum returned to West Virginia to attend West Virginia University College of Law. While in law school he was a contributing writer and associate editor of the West Virginia Law Review. He received his law degree in 1967 and returned to Huntington to join his father, Chad W. Ketchum (1911-1998), in the practice of law with the firm of Greene, Ketchum & Baker. He practiced at that firm and its successors, eventually becoming the senior partner, until his election to the Court. Justice Ketchum's law practice included insurance defense, personal injury, and criminal defense. He was recognized continuously from 1989 to 2008 in The Best Lawyers in America and was a member of the Leading Honoraries, the American College of Trial Lawyers, and the American Board of Trial Advocates. Throughout his legal career he published legal articles and presented numerous continuing legal education seminars. Justice Ketchum also served as a member of the Board of Governors of Marshall University from 2002 until his campaign for the Court, and served as Chairman or Vice-Chairman of the Board from 2003 until 2008. At the time of his election to the Court, he served on the Boards of the Public Defender Corporations for the Sixth and Twenty-Fourth Judicial Circuits. He previously served on the Huntington Urban Renewal Authority, participated in the statewide Vision Shared Health Care Team, and the Governor's Mine Safety Task Force. Justice Ketchum has been married to the former Judy Varnum since 1966.

Practice Area
Personal Injury
Additional Practice Area
  • Car Accidents
Jurisdictions Admitted to Practice
West Virginia
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Professional Experience
Justice
West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals
- Current
Chief Justice in 2012
Attorney
Greene, Ketchum & Baker
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Education
Ohio University
B.A.
Activities: member of the 1964 Mid-American Conference Championship Baseball Team
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West Virginia University College of Law
J.D. (1967)
Activities: Contributing writer and associate editor of the West Virginia Law Review.
West Virginia University College of Law Logo
Professional Associations
West Virginia State Bar
Member
- Current
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Public Defender Corporations for the Sixth and Twenty-Fourth Judicial Circuits
Boards
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Marshall University
Board of Governors
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Activities: Chairman or Vice-Chairman of the Board from 2003-2008.
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Websites & Blogs
Website
West Virginia Supreme Court of Appealse
Website
Court biography
Contact & Map
Capitol Complex
Building One, Room E-307
Charleston, WV 25305
Telephone: (304) 558-2604