Biography
Ashley Hardesty Odell is a seasoned labor and employment attorney who serves as co-lead national litigation counsel for a major retail chain grocery store and pharmacy. Ashley is trusted counsel to employers, advising on workplace issues including discrimination and harassment, wage and hour, employee handbooks, workplace safety, and employment agreements. In addition to her robust labor and employment practice, Ashley focuses on complex mass litigation matters, complicated insurance extra-contractual and bad faith litigation, and employment litigation. Her clients turn to her for her efficient case management, which allows her to resolve disputes quickly and efficiently.
Additionally, Ashley has experience litigating business disputes, commercial collections, construction disputes, property damage claims, and personal injury cases in state and federal courts. Ashley uses her depth of knowledge in labor and employment issues to speak and present on diversity, equality, and inclusion matters, combatting bias in the workplace, handling employee issues, and women’s leadership initiatives. She is also an active and recognized member of her community, and the recipient of many statewide honors across West Virginia.
Court Admissions
- Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia
- U.S. District Courts for the Northern and Southern Districts of West Virginia
Representative Experience
- Lead counsel in national defense of major retail grocery store/pharmacy in federal multidistrict litigation and numerous state court cases
- Idleman v. State Farm Fire & Casualty Company, United States District Court for the Northern District of WV (granting summary judgment in favor of insurer on insured’s demand for contents coverage policy limit pursuant to valued policy law)
- Long et al. v. Hardy County Board of Education et al., Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia 20-0064 (affirming summary judgment in favor of employer)
- Lemasters v. Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company, Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia 12-0774 (affirming trial court denial of attorneys’ fees for litigating bad faith claims)
Education
- J.D. West Virginia University College of Law
- B.A. West Virginia University
Memberships
- West Virginia Bar Association
- Monongalia County Bar Association (President, 2007)
- Member, Insurance Law Committee and Employment Law Committee, Defense Trial Counsel of West Virginia
- Defense Research Institute
- Society for Human Resource Management
- Fourth Circuit Judicial Conference
- Board of Directors; Co-Chair, Diversity Committee, Morgantown Area Partnership
- Past President, Board of Directors; Member of Nominating and Personnel Committees, United Way of Monongalia and Preston County
- Founder and Former President of Generation Morgantown
- Co-Chair, Women United; Chair, Volunteer Connection Committee, United Way of Monongalia and Preston County
- Board of Trustees, Member, West Virginia Public Theater
- Chair, Monongalia County Arts Fund (2007)
- WVU School of Nursing Visiting Committee
- West Virginia University College of Law Visiting Committee
- Morgantown City Fire Civil Service Commission
- Member, West Virginia Business Volunteer Council
- Member, Power of 32 Steering Committee
- Generation West Virginia
- National Conference of Women’s Bar Associations’ GOOD Guys Committee
- Advisory Board Member, Monongalia County Partnership in Education
- Board Member, Boys and Girls Club
- Citizens Action Review and Community Visioning Committee, United Way of Monongalia and Preston County
- Planning Committee Member, WVU Children’s Hospital Gala
- Board of Directors, American Cancer Society
- Ambassadors Committee, Morgantown Area Chamber of Commerce
Achievements
- Recognized in the 2024 Edition of Super Lawyers for Business Litigation
The Best Lawyers in America®, Litigation – Insurance; Litigation – Labor and Employment, and Product
- Liability Litigation – Defendants (2024)
- Named to “Young Guns” by West Virginia Executive Magazine (2020)
- Fellow, Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (2019)
- Recognized among West Virginia’s Wonder Women, presented by West Virginia Living (2016)
- Margaret Buchannan Young Alumni Award, WVU Alumni Association (2014)
- Generation West Virginia Regional All Star Award Winner (2010)
- “Generation Next, 40 Under 40” Award Winner (2008)
- West Virginia University Mountain Honorary
- Queen Silvia LXIII, WV Forest Festival, Elkins, West Virginia
Speaking Engagements
- Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion – What’s an Employer to Do in Light of Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. Versus University of NC and Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. Versus President & Fellows of Harvard College and Competing Guidance from the EEOC, November 2024
- From the Trenches – Preparing and Presenting Corporate Designees for Depositions, The Trial Network: Lakeside Litigation Super Course, April 29, 2023
- Microagressions, Implicit Bias, and DEI… Oh My!, West Virginia State Bar – Women in the Profession, Minority Lawyers, and LGBTQ+ Committees, March 26, 2023
- Surface Pressure – Navigating Our Path to Peace and Purpose, Defense Trial Counsel of West Virginia – 2023 For Women, By Women Conference, March 24, 2023
- Building Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion and Combatting Implicit Bias, Monongalia County Bar Association, November 15, 2022
- Destination DEI: Welcoming Economic Development and Employment Opportunities Through Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, Hospitality University, November 15, 2021
- Employment and Ethical Considerations for Lawyers on Social Media, The Trial Network – In-House and Outside Counsel: In Sync and In Person, November 6, 2021
- Everyday Bias and Its Impact on Client Representation, The Defense Research Institute (DRI) Civil Rights and Governmental Tort Liability Seminar, August 21, 2021
- Diversity and Combatting Implicit Bias, Monongalia County Bar Association, August 17, 2021
- Combatting Implicit Bias, The West Virginia State Bar – 2020 Regional Meeting, October 9, 2020
- D&I and Why? – 10 Tips for Cultivating Diversity and Inclusion in the Workplace, Society for Human Resource Management – Charleston, WV Chapter, September 9, 2020
- Are Lawyers Really Too Clever for Implicit Bias?, WVU College of Law, February 3, 2020
- Top 10 Tips for Cultivating Diversity & Inclusion in the Workplace, North Central West Virginia Society for Human Resource Management Monthly Meeting, January 8, 2020
- Women in Leadership, Mon Power’s Women in Leadership Series, August 14, 2019
- What If You Don’t “Like” an Employee’s Social Media Content?, West Virginia Chamber of Commerce / 2019 HR Conference, April 10, 2019
- Implicit Bias in the Workplace, NCWV SHRM, March 13, 2019
- Moderator: What Civil Court Judges Want You to Know, June 1, 2018
- Moderator: West Virginia Legislature 2018 Send-Off, December 6, 2017
- Work-Life Balance Issues, 2017 Lawyers as Leaders Course, WVU College of Law, November 15, 2017
- Moderator: West Virginia Legislature 2017 Session Wrap-Up, August 15, 2017
- Election Results: New Administration’s Platform on Employment Issues, March 29, 2017
- Work-Life Balance Issues, 2016 Lawyers as Leaders Course, WVU College of Law, November 15, 2016
- Employment Law 101, Resource U, presented by Small Business Committee for the WV Chamber of Commerce, July 13, 2016
- Moderator: National Business Institute Judicial Forum “As Judges See It: Top Mistakes Lawyers Make in Civil Litigation,” April 14, 2016
- Moderator: 2016 West Virginia Legislature Session Wrap-Up Breakfast, April 13, 2016
- Women and Politics, Women’s Innovative Networking Group, August 2015
- Primer on Employment Law in West Virginia, Resource U, presented by Small Business Committee for the WV Chamber of Commerce, July 2015
- Panelist: 2015 WV Women’s Leadership Summit, May 12-13, 2015
Publications
- Building Diversity, Equity and Inclusion In the Workplace, The West Virginia Banker, Winter 2020
- Implicit Bias in the Workplace, West Virginia Chamber of Commerce, 2019 HR Conference Journal, Spring 2019
- “Weighing Employers’ Risks in Work-Life Balance Programs,” Defense Trial Counsel of West Virginia 2018 Notebook of Articles, 2018
- “To Exempt, or Not Exempt: That is the Question,” West Virginia Chamber Human Resources Journal, April 26, 2018
- “Are all Employers Created Equal? Setoff Shenanigans for Special Employers in Deliberate Intent Cases,” West Virginia Defense Trial Counsel Notebook of Articles, 2016
- Highlights of Legislation Affecting WV Employers Enacted During the 2015 Regular Session, Labor and Employment Legislative Summary, March 16, 2015
Speaker Event
Press Release