Published: February 28, 2008 10:07 pm         

Fragile runs for 13th Family Court opening

Stacey L. Fragile has announced her candidacy for judge in the 13th Family Court Circuit for Raleigh, Summers and Wyoming counties. The position is for the newly created Division 3 of the 13th Family Court Circuit, which was created upon the addition of Summers County to the circuit.

Fragile, 32, has been

a lawyer since 2000 and is a Democrat. She is a former judicial law clerk to the judges of the 10th Judicial Circuit in Raleigh County where she learned first-hand the inner workings of the state’s court systems and the need for speedy yet thorough decisions for litigants involved in all legal disputes, especially family court matters due to the sensitive nature of family disputes.

Fragile focuses her law practice on children and families while practicing with her husband, Matthew, and father-in-law, Pat Fragile, in the law firm of Pat C. Fragile and Associates.

In addition to her private practice, Fragile serves as a court-appointed guardian ad litem for children involved in custody disputes in family court and in circuit court abuse and neglect cases in counties throughout southern West Virginia.

Fragile has received substantial training in the state Supreme Court’s “overlap rules” which govern handling of allegations of abuse and neglect by family court judges during domestic actions. Additionally, she continually expands her knowledge of the changes to the rules and laws affecting family courts in West Virginia by attending numerous classes and seminars throughout the state.

Fragile earned her B.S. degree in industrial relations and human resources from West Virginia Tech in 1996 where she also obtained minors in sociology and economics. She received her law degree from West Virginia University in 2000, where she was a member of Phi Delta Phi, the Public Interest Advocates and the Women’s Law Caucus.

Fragile vows to apply the law fairly and equally in all matters which would come before her, without injecting her personal feelings into matters. Further, she is committed to following the West Virginia Rules of Procedure for family courts in order to allow all litigants their day in court while also helping clear the court’s current backlog of cases which hamper some litigants’ ability to obtain a speedy hearing date. Additionally, Fragile is committed to giving the necessary time to the court docket of all three counties in the circuit.

Fragile is a current member of the executive committee of the Young Lawyers Section of the West Virginia State Bar, a position she was elected to by her colleagues in Raleigh and Wyo-ming counties. During her tenure on the executive committee, she devised and implemented a canned food donation program to support local food pantries in towns across West Virginia where the executive committee holds its quarterly meetings.

Fragile is a member of Alpha Sigma Tau sorority, American Bar Association, Raleigh County Bar Association, St. Thomas More Society, American Association for Justice and West Virginia Association for Justice.