Brian McAllister and Gabrielle Marcum Earn Legal Aid of West Virginia's Distinguished Pro Bono Award for Bailey Glasser

At 9:00 p.m. on a winter evening in 2024, a neighbor knocked on Brian McAllister’s front door. Brian is a partner in Bailey & Glasser’s Morgantown office.

Although the two had never met, Brian welcomed the man into his home. And although the neighbor didn’t know he was talking with a lawyer, the neighbor asked Brian to explain a document from the Monongalia County Magistrate Court. Over the next hour, Brian learned that the man and his family paid rent for a house without a central heating system. Shortly thereafter, Brian engaged as the family’s lawyer with Bailey & Glasser’s full support.

Approximately a year and more than 100 hours of pro bono legal work later, Brian and Bailey Glasser associate Gabbie Marcum, along with co-counsel James Clark and Ed Sharp of Legal Aid of West Virginia, settled the case and secured a favorable outcome for the family. That’s why, on April 3, Legal Aid of West Virginia and the West Virginia State Bar recognized Brian and Gabbie’s work by presenting Bailey & Glasser with the Distinguished Pro Bono Award.

“I’m elated that we delivered a positive result for our clients,” said Brian after receiving the award. “I’m thankful to have worked with James and Ed and Legal Aid of West Virginia. I’m grateful for Gabbie Marcum’s skill and hard work. And I’m proud to have opened my door for a family in need.” Additional BG team members providing valuable support in the case included paralegal Whitney Johnson and legal assistant Jessica Suschak.

Bailey & Glasser, LLP was born in West Virginia in 1999. Now a national full-service law firm with over 80 lawyers across 17 offices, we are grateful to be of service to communities across the country. In addition to this recognition, the firm was named Benchmark Litigation’s West Virginia Law Firm of the Year in March 2025.

Legal Aid of West Virginia is a statewide nonprofit organization providing free legal services and advocacy to ensure dignity and equal justice is available to all West Virginians, not just those who can afford it. Learn more about its important work here: https://legalaidwv.org/

Brian McAllister is a partner in BG’s Electronically Stored Information Group where he handles complicated state and federal cases across numerous industries including medical device product liability actions.  In 2024 and 2025, he was named one of the Best Lawyers in America®, Product Liability Litigation – Plaintiffs. 

Gabrielle Marcum is a member of the firm’s Commercial and Environmental Litigation Practice Group where she represents clients in complex litigation matters.