The Higher Education Legal Division is composed of five (5) attorneys and one (1) support staff member.

Higher Education Policy Commission staff:

Bruce Ray Walker,  General Counsel Higher Education Policy Commission
Victoria Timbers, Office Administrator

West Virginia Office of the Attorney General Staff:

Charles P. Houdyschell, Senior Assistant Attorney General, Charleston Office
Brian L. Lutz , Assistant Attorney General, Charleston Office
Samuel R. Spatafore, Assistant Attorney General, Morgantown Office
Kristi A. McWhirter, Assistant Attorney General, Glenville Office

Limitations of Representation

Attorneys within the Higher Education Legal Division are generalists. Each attorney within the Higher Education Legal Division has primary responsibility for representing state funded colleges, universities, and community and technical colleges in grievances, human rights complaints, unemployment, writs and other types of litigation for which damages are not sought against the institution.  In addition, the division answers general legal questions which the various state funded colleges, universities, and community and Techical colleges may have.

The Higher Education Legal Division does not give private advice to individual students, faculty, staff, private institutions of higher education, nor the general public.

Any state funded college, university or community and technical college wishing to request representation in a legal matter should complete the “Request for Representation Form ” and submit it electronically with all other documentation to our office to vtimbers@hepc.wvnet.edu. 

Contact Information