Webster County Bar Changes Dramatically

Nearly a century ago, in 1913, these 12 lawyers were members of the Webster

County Bar Association. This photo is believed to have been taken at the old

Webster Springs Hotel once located in Hotel Bottom in Webster Springs. The

1910 U.S. Census listed 9,680 residents in the County, almost identical to the

number of residents in the County in 2012. While the number of residents has

remained the same from a century ago, the number of actively practicing

lawyers in the County has decreased dramatically.

One hundred years ago, the County of Webster had a dozen lawyers listed as members of the County Bar Association.

At the end of 2012, the number of active lawyers has dwindled to just eight, and half of them work for the county or state government. Those in government service include:  Circuit Judge Jack Alsop, Family Court Judge Jeff Hall, Prosecutor Dwayne Vandevender, and Assistant Prosecutor Dara Acord. Lawyers in private practice include: Montie VanNostrand, Howard Blyler, Dan Hardway, and Joyce Helmick Morton.

Of the eight lawyers listed above, one just recently opened a practice of law in Cowen (i.e., Dan Hardway) and three others are moving into semi-retirement. Long time attorney Joyce Morton, of Webster Springs, is taking down her "shingle" in the County, as she will be working for a private trust after the first of the year. Her law partner, Montie VanNostrand, will also be drastically scaling back her Social Security practice. And another long time attorney, Howard Blyler, of Cowen, is also severely curtailing his practice of law as well. 

Except for Hardway, and excluding the four government service lawyers, there are no lawyers in private practice living and working in the County full time. The two judges and two prosecutors can not represent residents in legal matters because of their positions. Residents are forced to turn to out of County lawyers for assistance in light of the lack of general practice lawyers in the County.