John H. Tinney Jr. Honored With Best Lawyers – 2026 Lawyer of the Year Award
John H. Tinney, Jr., (“Jack”) has been awarded the “Lawyer of the Year” distinction for 2026 in the field of Criminal Defense – White Collar by THE BEST LAWYERS IN AMERICA.®
Best Lawyers® has recognized outstanding attorneys for more than four decades.
The publication relies on an exhaustive peer-review evaluation, where leading lawyers confidentially evaluate their peers’ professional abilities. Inclusion is not something attorneys can purchase; instead, it is based on the respect they earn from other accomplished lawyers in their fields. Only a single attorney in each practice area earns the “Lawyer of the Year” title in each metropolitan area. These selections are particularly meaningful, as they demonstrate the highest level of peer recognition.
In addition to the 2026 Lawyer of the Year award, Jack has been recognized by Best Lawyers in the fields of criminal defense, commercial litigation, construction law, and product liability litigation since 2001.
In the field of criminal law, Jack has represented a wide variety of clients, many of whom faced serious consequences in federal and state courts. In 2025, Jack represented a medical doctor who, along with 12 other individuals, were charged with violations of the federal Controlled Substances Act. The government alleged the doctors were prescribing opioid medications to patients without a legitimate medical purpose. After 8 years, 5 superseding indictments and the entry of guilty pleas by 10 of his co-defendants, Jack obtained a pre-trial diversion agreement for his client.
Jack has also successfully defended individuals in federal criminal cases where the individual challenged the government’s charges and allegations and proceeded to trial before a jury. In 2004, Jack successfully obtained the acquittal of a nurse who, along with her husband, were charged with controlled substance act violations and potentially faced more than 10 years of incarceration. United States v. Susan Anita Ashworth, Crim. No. 2:03-cr-00278 (S. Dist. Of W.Va.). In 2014, Jack obtained a Not Guilty verdict from a federal jury on behalf of his client who was charged in a federal indictment with illegal possession of a firearm. United States v. Jon Paul Clements, Criminal No. 2:13-cr-00315 (So. Dist. Of W.Va.). Jack was also a member of the trial team that obtained a determinate plea agreement with the United States in a murder case in which the client faced the federal death penalty. United States v. Owle, Crim No. 1:17-cr-00039 (No. Dist. Of W.Va.)
In addition to his criminal defense practice, Jack has represented individuals and institutions in various constitutional challenges to state statues and rules. In McGee v. Cole, 66 F. Supp.3d 747 (S. D. W.Va. 2014), Jack served as trial counsel on behalf of the plaintiffs who successfully challenged West Virginia’s ban on same sex marriage. The United States District Court found that the marriage ban violated both the Equal Protection Clause and the Due Process Clause of the United States Constitution. Jack also had the privilege to represent the Supreme Court of Appeals and the individual justices in two separate constitutional challenges brought by a major railroad company and a coal company to the Court’s judicial recusal process and rulemaking authority. After prevailing at the district court level, Jack was successful in defending the verdict on appeal to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. Norfolk Southern v. McGraw.
Prior to establishing his current practice, Jack served as law clerk to the Hon. Robert B. King on the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals and then as an Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of West Virginia. He is a cum laude graduate of Washington & Lee University and received his JD from Wake Forest University School of Law. Jack was the managing partner of The Tinney Law Firm, a litigation boutique firm, from 2002 through 2016. He joined Hendrickson & Long in 2016 where he has continued his litigation practice throughout the State of West Virginia.
