MSHA defense law firms

A working directory of US law firms with active US Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) defense, compliance, and operator-side regulatory practice. Useful for mining operators, general counsel, and compliance teams looking for outside counsel on enforcement matters, 105(c) defense, FMSHRC proceedings, citation contests, and fatality investigations.

Sourced from public firm websites and reporting. Every firm links to its own site as the authoritative source on practice scope and capability. Inclusion is editorial — Mining Incidents has no commercial relationship with any firm listed.

Tier 1

Verified named MSHA practice

Firms with publicly-documented depth in MSHA enforcement work — dedicated practice pages, named partners, public defense of named operators, or representation in 105(c) actions and FMSHRC proceedings.

Pence Law FirmCharleston WV (national MSHA practice)
Coal-operator MSHA practice since 2012. One of only a handful of firms with the depth/breadth to handle complex MSHA matters across the US.
Practice area: National
Steptoe & Johnson PLLCCharleston WV; offices across Appalachia + DC
Represented mining companies in numerous 105(c) actions; defended operators in "flagrant" MSHA violation contests totaling millions in penalties; defended coal operators in MSHA fatality and injury investigations.
Practice area: National
Conn Maciel Carey LLPWashington DC + Columbus OH + nationwide
Publishes The MSHA Defense Report blog. Represents operators throughout MSHA agency rule-making, investigations, and enforcement directives. Recent powerhouse hire — Emily Toler Scott, former U.S. Department of Labor Appellate Litigation Counsel (joined 2025-04-29).
Practice area: National
Jackson Kelly PLLCCharleston WV; offices across coal states
Aggressively represents the mining industry in state and federal courts. Regularly appears before MSHA, IBLA, and other federal agencies on operator-side matters. Defends 103(k) closure orders, 105(c) discrimination investigations, 110(c) investigations, and Part 50 immediate-notification cases.
Practice area: National
Bowles Rice LLPCharleston WV; multi-state Appalachia
Dedicated MSHA Defense practice — pre-conference inspection meetings, informal safety conferences, negotiations, and litigation through every regulatory level. Recognized in U.S. News Best Law Firms (Mining Law).
Practice area: National

Tier 2

Mining-industry / operator-side practice

Firms with mining-industry practice that may include MSHA defense work without a dedicated MSHA practice page. Practice scope varies — verify with the firm directly.

Whitcomb Selinsky, PCDenver CO; national MSHA
MSHA practice led by former DOL personnel; counsels operators on FMSHRC enforcement matters. Tim Turner — 7-year DOL trial attorney — leads Health & Safety defense.
Practice area: National
Stinson LLPKansas City MO; multi-state
Mining-industry capability across regulatory and transactional work.
Practice area: National
Snell & WilmerPhoenix AZ; western US
Mining-industry services for operator-side regulatory and litigation work; metal/non-metal focus.
Practice area: National
Wyatt, Tarrant & Combs, LLPLouisville KY; KY/IN/TN
Mineral & Energy practice covering coal-operator regulatory matters in the Illinois Basin / Central Appalachia.
Practice area: KY, IN, TN
McBrayer PLLCLexington KY; multi-state
Coal-industry corporate + environmental regulatory practice for operators.
Practice area: KY, WV

For these firms

If you're practicing MSHA defense and would like an editorial review of your firm's entry — corrections, additional named partners, recent matter highlights — emailaustin@byshovel.com.

For programmatic access to MSHA accident data for compliance dashboards or matter-tracking tools, see /for/defense and /pricing.