What do you get when you mix two people from Florida, Florida State University, and the University of Pittsburgh Law School? Cipriani & Werner’s Wheeling, West Virginia office gets two dynamic young lawyers, Philip and Lindsey Sbrolla, who also happen to be husband and wife.

The Sbrollas started their trek to Wheeling from sunny Florida. Lindsey grew up in Palm Harbor, on the Gulf Coast outside of Tampa; while Phil grew up in Miami. They met at Florida State University, both graduating in 1999. Law School at the University of Pittsburgh followed, where they both graduated in 2002.

Lindsey went on to clerk for the Honorable Daniel L. Leland, District Chief Judge of the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of the Administrative Law Judges in Pittsburgh. At the time, Judge Leland issued the first case to significantly interpret the 2000 amended Black Lung Regulations. The case, Dempsey v. Sewell, has become one of the most cited black lung cases.

Lindsey’s career to date has been focused on Federal Black Lung and state occupational disease issues. As such, she has garnered great respect in the mining industry and with the industry’s insurers. Lindsey joined the Wheeling office in August 2011, where she began coordinating the Federal Black Lung practice for the firm. When speaking of her practice, Lindsey said, “I like the genuine openness and friendliness of the people I work with throughout the state. It makes working these claims seem a little easier.”

When Phil Sbrolla accepted the challenge to extend Cipriani & Werner’s footprint into West Virginia with fellow partner Nathan Hughes, he realized that they were faced with the daunting task of breaking through the general perception of how law is practiced in the Mountain State. “As we began the project, it became evident that everyone we spoke to in West Virginia had the same perception of how law is practiced: lawyers push lots of paper, cases don’t move forward, and two years later, cases settle,” commented Sbrolla.

Fortunately, Phil found that West Virginians were very receptive to the ethos that drives the way Cipriani & Werner practices law. “It was immediately apparent that the people we talked to in West Virginia appreciated our concern for their bottom line and our commitment to early and thorough investigation and analysis of their cases. It struck a chord with folks that we are not about dragging a case on and on, but that we are going to partner with them and be a conduit of information for the client to make early and informed decisions regarding litigation,” said Phil.

Phil Sbrolla is licensed in West Virginia and Pennsylvania and has tried cases in state and federal courts. His practice includes civil rights, employment, transportation and trucking, professional negligence, and premises liability. Prior to entering private practice, Phil was a law clerk for the Honorable Ralph D. Pratt, President Judge of the Lawrence County Court of Commons Pleas.

While attention to their legal work is of utmost importance, the Sbrollas have two young children, who keep them quite busy.