Alex Walker West, of counsel to the firm, focuses his practice on civil litigation, and specializes in employer-side workplace and occupational safety and health issues. This includes representing businesses facing inspections by the Virginia Occupational Safety and Health (VOSH) Division of the Virginia Department of Labor and Industry (DOLI), and the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

Alex worked for four years as a staff attorney, and eventually Litigation Manager, for DOLI, reviewing VOSH enforcement cases pre-citation and handling post-contest litigation in circuit courts and the Court of Appeals. His experience on the government-side is invaluable to businesses looking to respond appropriately to workplace safety and health issues and government investigations.  His experience also extends to other state regulatory enforcement areas, including labor law, boiler compliance, VOSH section 11(c) investigations, and elections issues.

Alex’s services begin before an inspector shows up at your doorstep with site audits and training on both accident investigations and handling inspections for managers and safety professionals, and of course, representation during inspections and after citations are issued. This includes informal conferences, strategic decisions on whether to contest, negotiating settlements with the agency or proceeding all the way through circuit court litigation and trials of contested citations. Alex has handled a successful appeal of a VOSH matter all the way to the Court of Appeals. This is a unique and complex area of the law where an experienced attorney is vitally important.

In addition to VOSH defense, Alex has a wide array of experience with state and federal civil litigation, from general district and circuit courts to successful appeals up to the Court of Appeals and Supreme Court of Virginia. Alex can serve as first chair, co-counsel, local counsel, or appellate counsel, and is versatile enough to handle virtually any litigation matter.

Alex is a former Assistant Attorney General with the Office of the Attorney General in Richmond, where he represented the Department of Elections and State Board of Elections on state and federal elections laws, constitutional issues, drafting formal opinions, and regulatory enforcement of Stand-By-Your-Ad laws. He also has experience with recount petitions on behalf of candidates, and successfully conducted a jury trial in a removal petition against local electoral board members.

Alex is the third generation of his family to practice law on the Virginia Peninsula.  Alex, much like his father and grandfather, both Newport News litigators, is an effective, forceful advocate.

Alex is admitted to practice in all Virginia state courts, the Eastern and Western District federal courts, the bankruptcy court in the Eastern District, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. He is a member of the Newport News Bar Association.  Alex is a Newport News native. He received his Bachelor of Arts from the University of Virginia in Psychology, where he worked for a research lab on projects dealing with the psychology of credibility, including in the context of witnesses and juries, graduating in three years. Alex attended the College of William & Mary School of Law, where he graduated in 2012. Alex lives in Williamsburg with his wife and son.