Partner and Education Law Group Leader
Bowles Rice LLP
Photo by Rick Lee.
By Jean Hardiman
As a boy, Howard Seufer didn’t have his sights set on becoming a lawyer. He wanted to be a cowboy—until he saw first-hand how higher education helped his father further his career. Today, as a partner and leader of the education law group at Bowles Rice LLP, Seufer counsels public school leaders throughout West Virginia on how to maximize educational opportunities for the next generation of students.
During junior high, Seufer’s family moved from Ohio to Parkersburg, WV, when his father became a registered engineer. Their new home was in town near the schools, which had a major impact on the young man.
“I was able to spend many hours at school, participating in extracurricular activities like student government, forensics, the student newspaper, theater and the Junior Engineers Technical Society,” he says. “Through those opportunities, I learned a lot about my abilities and potential, about teaming with others and about what I might be interested in doing as an adult.”
It was while he was attending Michigan State University as a political science major that Seufer began to consider a law career. Two of his professors were able to bring the legal system to life, inspiring him to think about the role of law in society.
After graduating from the West Virginia University (WVU) College of Law, Seufer accepted a two-year judicial clerkship before joining Earley Bailey & Pfalzgraf, a Parkersburg law firm which, through merger, is known today as Bowles Rice LLP. There, he began sitting in on school district meetings with Bill Pfalzgraf, and before long, he had entire education law projects of his own.
“I was exposed early on to school board members and administrators whose commitment to the best interests of children typified what I have always loved about the school leaders with whom I work every day,” he says.
During his career, Seufer has counseled all 55 West Virginia school boards, as well as the West Virginia School Board Association and various regional education agencies, colleges and universities. He chairs the education law practice group at Bowles Rice, which has been recognized as top tier in Southern West Virginia for education law by U.S. News & World Report’s 2018 Best Law Firms. Best Lawyers in America recognized Seufer in school law and named him the 2016 Lawyer of the Year for Education Law in Southern West Virginia.
Seufer is also a co-founder of the firm’s Signature Series Workshops program, which provides legal education to public school leaders in small group settings, and he is a longtime member of the Council of School Attorneys, Education Law Association and National Association of College and University Attorneys.
Throughout his career, Seufer has volunteered with state groups committed to improving education, addressing educational inequality and preserving historic treasures. He is the emeritus director of the nation’s first statewide education fund, The Education Alliance, and serves on the board of directors for the West Virginia Mansion Preservation Foundation, Inc. and the board of governors for Southern West Virginia Community and Technical College, which he chairs. He is also the vice chairman of the WVU Diversity Visiting Committee, and he is a volunteer with Read Aloud West Virginia.
In the past, Seufer has served as a board member and chair for SW Resources Inc., a nonprofit focused on the vocational needs of adults with disabilities; member of the state superintendent’s Stakeholder Advisory Group and Blennerhassett Historical Park Commission; board member for the Blennerhassett Historical Foundation, Inc. and YMCA of Parkersburg; eMentor with WV eMentoring; and chair of Vision Shared’s education committee.
His commitments show that he wants every West Virginian to have a strong educational foundation.
“There are many children and young adults who are either denied or cannot avail themselves of a good education,” says Seufer. “Unless those obstacles are addressed and resolved, thousands of our children will never participate in the successes of our state. Helping them helps everyone. An educated citizenry and educated workforce will improve the lives of all of us who call West Virginia home.”
1977 Graduated from the WVU College of Law
1979 Hired as an associate by Davis Bailey & Pfalzgraf
1980 Became a partner at Davis Bailey & Pfalzgraf
1990 Joined the board of the Blennerhassett Historical Foundation
1991 Became a partner at Bowles, Rice, McDavid, Graff & Love LLP
1998 Appointed to the Blennerhassett Historical Park Commission
2001 Named board member and treasurer for the WV Mansion Preservation Foundation, Inc.
2009 Elected board chair of The Education Alliance
2013 Named WV Bar Foundation Fellow
2017 Elected chair of the Southern WV CTC board of governors
