Partner, Bowles Rice LLP
By Olivia Miller
Now a senior partner in Bowles Rice’s Martinsburg office, Chazz Printz had an idyllic childhood in Charles Town, WV. He recalls children pouring out of almost every house in the neighborhood. He and his family walked almost everywhere, and the atmosphere was lively and welcoming.
Printz’s father was a business professor at Shepherd College and worked two additional part-time jobs. Throughout his adolescence, Printz grew up sitting in the back of lecture halls watching his father teach young and eager college students.
“I observed the respect many of his students showed and the friendships he maintained with former students,” he says. “I saw how hard he worked preparing for class, grading papers and meeting with students, and instinctively it was what I wanted to be.”
Not only did his parents influence his career, they also instilled in him the importance of giving back to the community. Printz’s childhood was essentially built around supporting and being an active member of his hometown. His parents were active in the church, various civic and fraternal organizations and politics. They showed their support not only with their time but with monetary donations as well.
After high school, Printz landed his first job on an assembly line in a plant manufacturing fire extinguishers. Seven years later, he started the practice of law as the fifth member of a small general practice law firm in Martinsburg.
“It became apparent to me in my senior year of college that pursuit of a college teaching career in history would be a difficult path,” he says. “There was a swell of political and social activism at the time, generated by the civil rights movement and opposition to the Vietnam War. A legal career was seen by many as an instrument for change.”
In college, Printz eschewed traditional fraternities to join the national service fraternity Alpha Phi Omega, which focused on projects for disadvantaged and disabled youth.
As he began his career as an attorney, he joined the Martinsburg Jaycees, which connected him to young business leaders and projects that benefited disadvantaged youth. This experience led him to serve on the board of Gateway Youth Home. While he was on the board, the organization received government grants and funding to establish a group home for juveniles involved in the court system.
Throughout his career, Printz has been involved in different capacities with countless organizations in his community, including the United Way of the Eastern Panhandle, Rotary Club of Martinsburg, Shenandoah Valley Medical System, Shenandoah Community Health Foundation, National Conservation Training Center, Conservation West Virginia and Trinity Episcopal Church of Shepherdstown.
In November 2020, Printz was named the Berkeley County Schools Volunteer of the Month for his service as the Read Aloud program coordinator at Burke Street Elementary School, a program he is deeply passionate about. Before a formal Read Aloud program had been established, he had already been reading weekly to third-grade classes.
“Most of the current students come from impoverished families,” he says. “Many have never been read to. In addition to the laughter and joy of being with these young children, there have been emotional moments as well.”
His greatest achievement professionally came as he was serving as president of the Defense Trial Counsel of West Virginia, an organization of 450 lawyers across the state. In this position, he provided thought leadership, helped set policy, coordinated continuing education to its members and worked with very talented lawyers to ensure the organization’s voice was heard.
“Just as I have been dedicated to community outreach, giving back in the profession includes helping young lawyers in our office—who face more complex pressures than I—receive guidance and oversight,” he says.
Today, Printz’s practice focuses largely on employment law and business litigation. The natural and undiscovered beauty of West Virginia is one of many reasons why he chooses to live and work in West Virginia. He can often be found hiking or biking on trails across the Mountain State or rafting in the New River Gorge when he isn’t busy working on a case or volunteering.
1968 Graduated from Charles Town High School
1972 Graduated from University of Virginia
1975 Graduated from WVU College of Law
1977 Married wife, Donna
1982 Son, Matthew, was born
1982 Named partner at Rice, Hannis & Douglas
1985 Daughter, Alison, was born
1988 Admitted to 4th Circuit Court of Appeals
1996 Named permanent member of U.S. 4th Circuit Judicial Conference
2005 Named member of Defense Trial Counsel of WV board of governors
2007 Named to Best Lawyers in America for first time
2008 Named WV Bar Foundation Fellow
2013 Named Bet-the-Company Litigation Lawyer of the Year in the Northern WV Region
2014 Elected president of Defense Trial Counsel of WV
2019 Named Labor and Employment Lawyer of the Year in the Northern WV Region
2020 Received Defense Trial Counsel of WV Diplomat Award
