Colton J. Koontz

Colton J. Koontz is a dedicated and knowledgeable attorney currently practicing at Jackson Kelly PLLC in Morgantown, West Virginia. In May 2020, Colton obtained his Juris Doctor degree from West Virginia University. Prior to that, he earned a Master's degree in Biomedical Sciences from West Virginia University and dual Bachelor's degrees in Biochemistry and Biotechnology from Marshall University.

Colton is admitted to practice law before the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia, the United States District Courts for the Northern and Southern Districts of West Virginia, and the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals. He joined Jackson Kelly PLLC as an attorney in the fall of 2020, following previous internships with the firm and the Monongalia County Circuit Court. Colton has experience in civil litigation in both federal and state courts involving a wide variety of claims, such as personal injury, consumer protection, nuisance, breach of contract, and more. He has worked on complex cases, including prescription opioid litigation and environmental matters.

Colton has earned numerous honors and awards for his exceptional academic achievements. He received CALI Awards in Patent Prosecution, Patent Law, and Legal Research & Writing, as well as Marshall University's Outstanding Graduating Chemist and Outstanding Analytical Chemist awards. He also received the POLYED Undergraduate Award in Organic Chemistry.

In addition to his legal experience, Colton has extensive research and scholastic experience. He served as a Graduate Research Assistant in the Cancer Cell Biology Program at West Virginia University from 2012 to 2016 and participated in NSF-REU programs in Computational Chemistry  (Marshall University) and Biochemistry (University of Kentucky). He has co-authored several scientific publications relating to topics such as cancer cell proliferation, DNA repair, and CD44S-hyaluronan interactions.

Overall, Colton Koontz is an accomplished attorney with a diverse range of experience in the legal and scientific fields. His strong academic background and exceptional legal skills make him a valuable asset to the team at Jackson Kelly PLLC.

• West Virginia University College of Law (J.D., 2020)
  
  • CALI Award
    • CALI Award in Patent Prosecution 
    • CALI Award in Patent Law
    • Legal Reasoning, Research, and Writing II
• West Virginia University (M.S. in Biomedical Sciences, 2016)
  
  • MD-PhD Training Program, Graduate Research Assistant (2012-2016)
• Marshall University (B.S. in Biochemistry and Biotechnology, 2012)
  
  • Marshall University Outstanding Graduating Chemist
  • Marshall University Outstanding Analytical Chemist
  • American Chemical Society Award in Analytical Chemistry
  • POLYED Undergraduate Award in Organic Chemistry
  • Marshall University Outstanding Sophomore Chemist
  • NSF-REU in Computational Chemistry, Participant
  • NSF-REU in Biochemistry at the University of Kentucky, Participant

• West Virginia (2020)

• West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals (2020)
• U.S. District Court, Southern District of West Virginia (2020)
• U.S. District Court, Northern District of West Virginia (2021)
• U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit (2021)

• Jackson Kelly PLLC (2020-Present)
• Justice Russell M. Clawges, Legal Intern (2018)

Publications

• Author, “Why Pledger’s Rejection of the MPLA’s Notice of Claim and Certificate of Merit Requirements Matter to Health Care Providers. Jackson Kelly,” Health Law Monitor, January 30, 2024. (available at https://www.jacksonkelly.com/health-law-monitor-blog/health-care-providers-why-pledgers-rejection-of-the-mpla-notice-of-claim-and-certificate-of-need-requirement-matters).
• Author, “The Fourth Circuit Rejects Pre-Suit Notice and Screening Requirements in Medical Professional Liability Actions.” Jackson Kelly, Health Law Monitor, November 28, 2023. (available at https://www.jacksonkelly.com/health-law-monitor-blog/the-fourth-circuit-rejects-pre-suit-notice-and-screening-requirements-in-medical-professional-liability-actions).
• Co-editor of West Virginia chapter with Albert F. Sebok and Stephen R. Crislip, “Tort Law Desk Reference: A Fifty State Compendium,” Wolters Kluwer (2023-Present).
• Co-author with B. Cieply and S.M. Frisch, "CD44S-hyaluronan interactions protect cells resulting from EMT against anoikis," Matrix Biol. 2015 03/30; S0945-053X(15): 00093-1
• Co-author with J.B. Addison, J.H. Fugett, C.J. Creighton, D. Chen, M.K. Farrugia, R.R. Padon, M.A. Voronkova, S.L. McLaughlin, R.H. Livengood, C.C. Lin, J.M. Ruppert, E.N. Pugacheva, and A.V. Ivanov, "KAP1 promotes proliferation and metastatic progression of breast cancer cells," Cancer Res. 2015 01/15; 75(2): 344-55.
• Co-author with L.M. Hellman, T.J. Spear, M. Melikishvili, and M.G. Fried, "Repair of 06-methylguanine adducts in human telomeric G-quadruplex DNA by 06-alkylguanine-DNA alkyltransferase," Nucleic Acids Res. 2014 07/30; 42(15): 9781-91.

• Litigation
• Environmental

• Construction
• Energy
• Health Care

• Why Pledger’s Rejection of the MPLA's Notice of Claim and Certificate of Merit Requirements Matter to Healthcare Providers
• The Fourth Circuit Rejects Pre-Suit Notice and Screening Requirements in Medical Professional Liability Actions