Member and Owner, Preston & Salango, PLLC
Photo by Will Price.
By Kevin Duvall. Ben Salango, owner and member of Preston & Salango, PLLC, has amassed a large collection of legal and civic awards in a short time. Since 2012, he has been named one of The State Journal’s 40 Under 40, the Kanawha County Democratic Executive Committee’s Democrat of the Year and a top 10 personal injury lawyer in West Virginia by the Academy of Personal Injury Attorneys. His firm has been included in U.S. News and World Report’s Best Law Firms every year from 2012-2017. Despite his past successes, however, Salango’s focus is always on the future.
It is his drive to move forward that motivates his work as a lawyer and community leader. After graduating from the West Virginia University (WVU) College of Law in 1998, Salango became an associate at File Payne Scherer & File PLLC in his hometown of Beckley. In August 1999, Salango moved to Charleston to work in the Medical Malpractice Defense Group of Flaherty Sensabaugh Bonasso PLLC. Salango credits the level of responsibility he was given there with the advancement of his career.
“I was not treated like a junior lawyer,” he says of moving to the firm. “They trusted me with the work up of cases, including trials and appellate arguments before the West Virginia Supreme Court and the U.S. Court of Appeals. Working for such a prestigious civil defense firm launched me into the next phase of my career.”
In January 2005, less than seven years after graduating from law school, Salango made partner at Flaherty Sensabaugh Bonasso. Although he found his job rewarding, he wanted to take the next step in his career and start his own firm.
“I was very happy working there,” he says. “I loved my job, and I truly enjoyed the people I worked with every day. So when I announced I was leaving the firm only a year after being named partner, people thought I had lost my mind. Honestly, there were days I agreed with them. But I knew I could make my own law firm a success even in a very competitive market. I’m proud of the risk I took, and I am glad it worked out.”
A large determining factor in Salango’s decision to set out on his own in 2006 was his interest in litigation. In his practice, he concentrates on personal injury and employment cases as well as other civil suits. Salango was immediately drawn to litigation during law school because it would allow him to represent victims, help people and enjoy the fast pace of trial work.
“I knew in law school that I wanted to be a litigator because the subjects that interested me were trial advocacy, civil procedure and evidence,” he says. “When I started looking for a job during law school, I only applied to law firms who were hiring an associate for litigation.”
Beyond his legal career, Salango is heavily invested in public service in West Virginia. In early 2017, he was appointed to the Kanawha County Commission and is one of the youngest county commissioners in recent history. Salango is committed to bringing new economic opportunities to Kanawha County. He has a particular interest in sports tourism, and one of his primary projects is developing a multisport facility to provide local children with opportunities to participate in sports.
Many of Salango’s other community service projects center on children. His firm has sponsored or organized events to benefit the Charleston Montessori School, the Kanawha-Charleston Soccer Foundation and Sensitive Santa Portraits, which enables children with autism to have their pictures taken with Santa Claus without long lines, loud music or distracting lights.
Salango’s work can be summarized in one statement: “Giving back is one of the most important things a lawyer can do.”
Being able to give back through his law practice and participate in community service and family life with his wife, Tera, and their two sons makes all aspects of his life rewarding.
“I have never measured success in terms of dollars and cents or awards,” says Salango. “Success is not materialistic. Having a wonderful wife and two great kids and being able to help people as a lawyer and county commissioner make me feel successful.”
