Gregory B. Chiartas is a partner and founding member in the Charleston, West Virginia law firm of Freeman & Chiartas. He has been counsel in numerous million or multi-million dollar settlements or verdicts leading him to be chosen as a life member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum and Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum which is comprised of the Top Trial Lawyers in America.

Mr. Chiartas was born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He completed his undergraduate education at the University of Pittsburgh in 1980 where he graduated magna cum laude. He later earned his law degree from WVU College of Law in 1983. At that time, Mr. Chiartas joined the prestigious trial firm Preiser & Wilson (later Hunt & Wilson) in Charleston, WV.

In 1991 Mr. Chiartas and his partner, Bruce Freeman, started their own firm of Freeman & Chiartas in which he continued to dedicate his practice to helping individuals in matters involving personal injury, wrongful death, medical malpractice, products liability, Insurance and Bad Faith law, premises liability, legal malpractice, auto, truck and motorcycle accidents, and aviation law.

In addition to his educational accomplishments, Mr. Chiartas is an active member of the legal community. He is a member of numerous professional organizations, including the Kanawha County Bar Association, West Virginia Bar Association, the American Association for Justice (formerly ATLA), and is a member of the Board of Directors of the WV Association for Justice (formerly WVTLA).

Mr. Chiartas has frequently lectured and published articles in the areas of medical malpractice, nursing malpractice, legal malpractice, and numerous civil case preparation of trial issues.

Among his professional accomplishments, Mr. Chiartas served as co-counsel in the largest medical malpractice verdict in West Virginia and successfully represented the estate of a passenger killed in the crash of U.S. Airways Flight 427.

Outside the practice of law, Mr. Chiartas was appointed by former WV Governor Cecil Underwood to serve on the WV Board of Examiners of Licensed Practical Nurses where he is currently Vice-Chair and a member of the Disciplinary Committee.

His outside activities include riding his Harley Davidson, collecting and showing vintage cars, and involvement as a parent in community and high school soccer.

He is married to Denise (Moore) Chiartas and they have two sons, Tyler and Elliott.

Admitted: 1983, West Virginia and U.S. District Court, Southern District of West Virginia; 1984 U.S. District Court, Northern District of West Virginia; 1986 U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Kentucky.

Member: West Virginia Bar Association; West Virginia State Bar; West Virginia Trial Lawyers Association; Association of Trial Lawyers of America; Phi Delta Phi, Phi Beta Kappa, and Pi Sigma Alpha. Member of WVU Lugar Trial Team 1982-1983. Life Member University of Pittsburgh Alumni Association, WVU Alumni Association, Marshall University Thunder Club, Marshall University Charleston Quarterback Club, and Big Green Scholarship Foundation. Member of Capital City and Tri-Cities Harley Owners Group. Member of Bible Center Church.

Reported Cases: Barnes v. City of Parkersburg, 100 F.R.D. 768 (U.S. District Court S.D.W.Va. 1984); Chiartas v. Bavarian Motor Works, 106 F.Supp. 2d 874 (S.D.W.Va. 2000)

Publications: Non-Testifying Experts; Trial Magazine, July, 1984

Nursing and Depositions: A Key to Establishing Hospital Liability, WVTLA Advocate, Winter, 1985

Nursing Malpractice: Common Areas of Nursing Liability; WVTLA Advocate, Fall, 1986

Lecturer, "Initial Considerations," WVTLA Annual Seminar and Convention, Charleston, WV, June 4, 1994

Panelist, "Settling Insurance Claims in West Virginia," Professional Education Systems, Inc., Charleston, WV, June 7, 1996

Lecturer, "Handling Legal Malpractice Claims in West Virginia," National Business Institute, Charleston, WV, April 20, 1999