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nschaefer@shumanlaw.com
Natalie's Practice Areas
- Appeals
- Architect & Engineering Liability
- Civil Rights Litigation
- Class Actions & Mass Torts
- Coal Mining Accidents
- Coal Mining Safety & Compliance
- Construction Law
- Errors & Omissions Litigation
- Gas & Coal Litigation
- Insurance Coverage & Bad Faith
- Professional Liability
- Retail, Restaurant, & Hospitality
- State, Municipal & Public Entities
- Toxic Exposure
Natalie C. Schaefer
Natalie C. Schaefer focuses her diverse practice on high-stakes litigation involving catastrophic loss in various industries including construction, general litigation, professional liability, product manufacturing, retail and hospitality, and trucking. Ms. Schaefer defends professionals, employers, manufacturers, distributors, retailers, construction, engineering, and architectural companies, mining companies, and commercial trucking companies in (1) pre-suit investigations; (2) all phases of litigation from the initial pre-suit investigation through trial and appeal; (3) mediation/arbitration/ADR; and (4) preventive risk management consultation. In addition, Ms. Schaefer also defends product liability cases such as benzene and other mass tort cases.
An Order of the Coif and Order of Barristers graduate of the West Virginia College of Law, she was the 2002 Lugar Trial Association Invitational Competition winner and also served as Executive Board Member for the West Virginia University Law Review.
She is the recipient of the peer-reviewed honor “Super Lawyer Rising Star” for eight consecutive years. She obtained her AV Rating from Martindale-Hubbell, evidencing her dedication to the preeminent practice of law and high ethical standards. She was also selected as a Best Lawyer® in 2019.
Ms. Schaefer is married to Dr. Mark E. Schaefer, Professor, and Chair of the Department of Political Science at Marietta College. They live in Charleston with their two children.
Bar Admissions
- West Virginia
- Kentucky
- U.S. District Court, Southern District of West Virginia
- U.S. District Court, Northern District of West Virginia
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit
- Supreme Court of the United States
Education
- J.D., West Virginia University College of Law
- Honors and Accomplishments:
- Order of the Coif
- Order of the Barristers
- Lugar Trial Association Invitational Competition, Winner
- West Virginia University Law Review, Executive Board Member
- B.A., West Virginia University
- Major: Political Science
- Double Minor: English and Philosophy
- Honors: cum laude
Published Works
- “Insurance Coverage Trends in Construction Litigation” in In-House Defense Quarterly (DRI, Defense Research Institute) (2016).
- “Construction of Construction Coverage – Poor Workmanship Constitutes an Occurrence” in DRI Newsletter, (DRI, Defense Research Institute) (2016).
- “Impeachment With Deposition At Trial” in Gaye Nell Currie, et al., The Deposition Manual, Ch. 12 (2015).
- “Deposition of a Police Officer” in Gaye Nell Currie, et al., The Deposition Manual, Ch. 16 (2015).
- “Deposition of Truck Driver (CDL)” in Gaye Nell Currie, et al., The Deposition Manual, Ch. 21 (2015).
- “The Unusual Suspects: Unlikely Players in the Product Liability Arena,” Defense Trial Counsel of West Virginia
- “Administrative Preclusion: Litigation Ammunition?”, Defense Trial Counsel of West Virginia
- “Technology in Litigation,” For the Defense, DRI, September 2012
- “Speak Psychology,” For the Defense, DRI, October 2014
- “It Goes By So Fast: Achieving Work-Life Balance Through Community Service.” American Bar Association Section of Litigation, Woman Advocate, May 2015.
- “Mediation 101 for Newly-Minted Lawyers,” Trials and Tribulations, DRI, Volume 21, Issue 2.
Classes/Seminars Taught
- Applying the Rules of Evidence: What Every Attorney Needs to Know, NBI 2019
- Trends in Construction Industry and Handling of Construction Claims, Panelist, 4th Annual Construction Defect, Claims & Litigation Strategies Execuummit, 2019
- Personal Injury 101, NBI 2018
- Applying the Rules of Evidence: What Every Attorney Needs to Know, NBI 2017
- Civil Trial From Start to Finish, NBI 2018
- Applying the Rules of Evidence: What Every Attorney Needs to Know, NBI 2014
- A Litigation Paralegal’s Guide to Case Management, Institute for Paralegal Education, 2013
- Maneuvering Social Media in Litigation, LAPSWV 2013
- Personal Injury 101, NBI 2012
- Handling Government Liability Claims, NBI 2011
- Evidence and Expert Testimony Best Practices: Supporting Your Case, NBI 2011
- Useful Discovery for Trial, Institute for Paralegal Education, June 2010.
- Navigating the Ethics of the Tripartite Relationship, Defense Trial Counsel of West Virginia Annual Meeting, June 2009.
Professional Associations and Memberships
- American Bar Association
- Claims and Litigation Management (CLM) Alliance
- Defense Trial Counsel of West Virginia
- Defense Research Institute
- DRI
- Retail and Hospitality Committee
- Construction Law Committee
- Governmental Liability Committee
- Insurance Law Committee
- Trial Tactics Committee
- Women in the Law Committee
- Trucking Law Committee
- West Virginia Bar Association
- West Virginia Associated Builders and Contractors, Inc.