Members of the Charleston, WV law firm of Goodwin & Goodwin, LLP are establishing the Thomas R. Goodwin Professorship of Law with a $250,000 endowment, the earnings of which will provide monies to promote and support legal scholarship and teaching at the WVU College of Law. The firm of Goodwin & Goodwin was founded by Thomas R. Goodwin and his brother, Judge Joseph R. Goodwin. Their brother, Stephen P. Goodwin, later joined the firm. Goodwin & Goodwin is recognized as one of West Virginia’s premier law firms, with its main office in Charleston and satellite offices in Ripley and Parkersburg.
Thomas R. Goodwin earned his undergraduate degree from WVU, in 1966, graduating Magna Cum Laude and a member of Phi Beta Kappa. In 1969, he graduated from the WVU College of Law, where he was editor in chief of the West Virginia Law Review and a member of the Order of the Coif. He obtained an L.L.M. in tax law, from Harvard University, in 1970.
Mr. Goodwin was appointed tax commissioner by then-Governor of West Virginia, John D. Rockefeller, in 1977, and subsequently was selected by Governor Rockefeller to serve as his executive assistant, from 1977 until 1981. Following his service in State government, Mr. Goodwin returned to private practice. His firm maintains a diverse practice in areas that include litigation, corporate and commercial law, bonds, appellate practice, and legislative lobbying.
Mr. Goodwin remains prominent in both the political and legal arenas. In 1994, he directed Senator Robert C. Byrd’s successful reelection campaign. He also has been named to The Best Lawyers in America, for his outstanding achievements in corporate law.
On April 7, more than 100 invited guests joined members of the firm, and College of Law faculty and students, for the unveiling of the bronze plaque bearing Mr. Goodwin’s likeness, and for presentations given by John W. Fisher II (Dean and Professor of Law), David C. Hardesty, Jr. (President, WVU), F. Duke Perry (President, WVU Foundation, Inc.), and Stephen P. Goodwin, Esq. (brother of the honoree, and member of the firm Goodwin & Goodwin). A reception followed the dedication.
