Mychal Sommer Schulz

Area of Emphasis
Mychal Schulz is a shareholder in the Litigation, Employment & Labor Services, and Energy & Natural Resources groups of Babst Calland. Mr. Schulz has extensive experience litigating matters in state and federal courts throughout West Virginia. He has been lead trial counsel in both state and federal courts on a variety of matters, including employment, premises liability, insurance bad faith and coverage, commercial, officers and directors liability, ERISA, product liability, consumer protection and criminal matters. In addition, Mr. Schulz routinely handles creditor-rights matters in Bankruptcy Court. He has appeared before the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals and the United States Circuit Court for the Fourth Circuit.

Mr. Schulz also brings his long and diverse experience to bear in his work as a mediator, where his collaborative, relationship-driven approach assists parties in resolving even complex and difficult cases.

Background
Mr. Schulz graduated from the University of Notre Dame with a B.A. in 1987. He received his M.A. from the University of Virginia in 1990 and J.D. from the William and Mary School of Law in 1992. Originally from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Mr. Schulz has spent his entire legal career litigating throughout West Virginia.

In addition to his legal work, Mr. Schulz is a USTA/ITA certified tennis official who officiates matches in the Mountain East Conference, is a broadcaster for the University of Charleston men’s and women’s basketball and volleyball teams, and is co-host of “The Tailgate,” a weekly sports talk show on local radio.

Memberships and Affiliations
Mr. Schulz is admitted to practice in West Virginia, Ohio, the United States District Courts for the Northern and Southern Districts of West Virginia, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. He is a member of the Kanawha County, West Virginia and American Bar associations. Mr. Schulz is also a member of DRI (formerly the Defense Research Institute) and was selected to DRI’s Center for Law and Public Policy’s State Legislation and Rules Task Force. He also chairs the Appellate Skills Development Subcommittee of the Amicus Committee, which is part of DRI’s Center Law and Public Policy. Mr. Schulz is the immediate past president for the Defense Trial Counsel of West Virginia (DTCWV), the organization for civil defense attorneys in the state and a past chair of Leadership West Virginia, which is affiliated with the West Virginia Chamber of Commerce. In 2023, DTCWV named him the Attorney of the Year. Mr. Schulz was named the Best Lawyers® 2021, 2023 and 2026 Litigation – ERISA “Lawyer of the Year” in Charleston, W.Va. and has been recognized in The Best Lawyers in America® for Litigation – ERISA since 2012 and Commercial Litigation and Litigation – Labor and Employment in the 2026 edition. He is rated by Martindale-Hubbell as AV Preeminent, Peer Rated for the Highest Level of Professional Excellence.