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August-September 2008
With Justice for All
 Robin Davis
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Inspired by justice for all, Robin Davis began her career as an attorney with her husband in the law firm of Segal and Davis, in Charleston, West Virginia. After 15 years, Robin was ready for a change and had dreams of becoming a Supreme Court Justice. Immediately after having the lingering thoughts of being on the bench, three (3) seats became available in the WV Supreme Court. Robin was elected to fill the four- year unexpired term of one of the justice seats.
“It was a great opportunity for me to explore my new dream of being a Supreme Court Justice. It would give me time to discover if this was the right direction for me in my career,” said Robin. “At the end of the four years, I knew that this was what I was called to do with my life,” she continued. “So I decided to run for a full seat on the bench – a 12 year term. Running for a political seat as Supreme Court Justice was new for me. I had never run for a political office in my life. It was new and it was exciting. I traveled throughout the state and talked with diverse groups of people letting them know my philosophies, goals, and ideas. The people were all very receptive. I was about age 40 at the time I was running for office, and probably the most negative thing (although it was not negative to me) was the comments from people who thought that I might be too young to run for office. But, overall, the people in the State listened and agreed with my thinking and objectives and I won the election,” she said.
“On my first day on the job as Supreme Court Justice, I found myself in a rather unique position. The law professor I had when I was at West Virginia University School of Law was leaving and he instantly became my mentor for about two months. I took copious notes, listened to his philosophies, went where he went, and talked to who he talked to during those two months. It was an awesome opportunity for me to have my old law professor providing me with an orientation to his job which I would be filling in a few short weeks. He was well-know and well-respected throughout the State of West Virginia as well as the United States. Still to this day, I remember things he told me, his thoughts, his philosophies, and still on occasion, I find myself going back to those original notes from many years ago to affirm by rulings during really rough cases, “ she explained.
“Another great mentor I had the privilege of working with for many years was Tom McHugh, who was a Supreme Court Justice whose office was directly across the hall from my office. He, too, was a very well respected, fair and sensible man who gave me guidance early in my career on the bench,” she added.
Like the rest of us, Robin is a busy woman who tries to balance her professional life and her personal life. “Typically, I’m up by 5:30 a.m. and get my ten year old son off to school. I work out for about an hour, then get ready and go into the office to start my official ‘work’ day. I’m a typical Type A personality, so I make lists each day of what I need to accomplish and then I go about making sure that I get things done. I meet with the various law clerks and review cases, I read law, I review cases, and I research law on any given day. On the days that I am in court, I listen to cases from about 10:00 a.m. until 5 or 5:30 p.m. Normally, I am in court Tuesdays and Wednesdays and write opinions most of the day on Thursdays,” she commented. After her day on the bench, Robin goes home, fixes dinner and helps her son with homework, then starts the day again the next morning.
When asked about what she considered to be the hardest part of her job, she said “The job is not physically demanding, but it is every emotionally challenging. My hardest cases are those that involve women and children. As a woman myself and as a mother, the cases and situations that are presented in front of me are very concerning and sometimes deplorable. During my term on the bench in 2006, West Virginia was the #1 state in the country for children’s deaths from abuse and neglect. I was very much alarmed about this statistic especially since I was the one hearing the details of such cases every day in my courtroom. That year, I was the most senior Judge and I decided that I was going to do something about this critical and emotional topic, so I declared that 2006 was going to be the ‘Year of the Child’. I made every effort to work and build a good relationship with Martha Walker, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, to make sure that we were helping these ‘at risk children’ before they became just another earth-shattering statistic. I gave a strong, critical eye on the felons that committed these harsh and unthinkable acts upon innocent children. And, I must say, I feel like I made a huge impact on how the State of West Virginia was seen and I feel that I saved many children’s lives physically and emotionally. This is something for which I will always feel proud,” she said.
As a classic ‘Type A’ personality, Robin loves to deal with issues that are controversial using her expert research, logical thinking, and detailed analysis of these issues of law. “I like to work on issues that have not been dealt with before,” she commented.
Advice from a female Supreme Court Justice is something that not many of us would ever get to hear. But Robin is freely giving to each reader of the A Woman’s View. Robin’s guidance goes like this -- “We, as women of West Virginia, are grossly underestimated! Set your goals high and seek to reach them. I learned throughout my years that the way you think about yourself gives off a presence and image to the rest of the world. Your presence and image goes a long way in determining how you are treated in the workplace. Over the years, I have expected to be treated as an equal and I have been. I am one of only four jurists in the State and I have been treated as a peer. My advice is to believe in your own success and then create it.”
Justice Robin Jean Davis was born in Boone County, West Virginia. She received her B.S. from West Virginia Wesleyan College in 1978, and her M.A. and J.D. from West Virginia University in 1982. She was engaged in the private practice of law from 1982 until 1996. Before her election to the Supreme Court of Appeals, she practiced law at the six-person law firm of Segal and Davis, L.C. She concentrated in the field of employee benefits and domestic relations. In 1993, she became the first lawyer in West Virginia to be inducted into the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers. In 1991, the Supreme Court of Appeals appointed her to the seven-person West Virginia Board of Law Examiners, on which she served until 1996. In 1996, she was elected to the Supreme Court of Appeals to an unexpired term. She was re-elected in November 2000. Justice Davis served as chief justice in 1998, 2002 and 2006. As chief justice, she accomplished a number of initiatives. These initiatives include: the Workers’ Compensation Mediation Program; the expansion of parent education programs; Rules on Mass Litigation; the expansion of technology for the ‘Courtroom of the Future,’ including the video initial appearance pilot project; and the creation of the West Virginia Trial Court Rules.
As chief justice, she also expanded the Supreme Court’s outreach efforts by taking the Court for the first time in recent years to Wheeling and Charles Town, and leading the Court in the establishment of the LAWS program. In 2000, Justice Davis received the Distinguished West Virginian Award from Governor Cecil H. Underwood.
Justice Robin Davis is the most senior member of the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals located in Charleston, WV. Telephone: 304 558 4811.
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