Denise M. Spatafore

Denise M. Spatafore is Of Counsel at Dinsmore & Shohl LLP in Morgantown, West Virginia. She belongs to the firm’s Labor and Employment Department and focuses on education law. Her practice addresses school personnel issues and the legal concerns of boards of education. She brings experience in both administrative adjudication and the management of a public school system, providing perspective on the day-to-day questions that arise in school employment and administration.

Spatafore earned a J.D. from West Virginia University College of Law in 1990. She received a B.S. in Criminal Justice Administration and Paralegal Studies from Bluefield State College in 1987. Her education supports work involving administrative law, the interpretation of personnel rules, and the rights and responsibilities of public education employers. She is admitted to the West Virginia bar and is a member of the West Virginia State Bar.

Spatafore previously served as an administrative law judge for the Public Employees Grievance Board and authored hundreds of decisions involving public employment matters. She also worked as personnel director for Harrison County Schools in Clarksburg, providing legal services and human resources management for a large school system. These roles gave her practical experience with school personnel policies, employee disputes, and the administrative procedures involved in public education.

Denise M. Spatafore draws on her administrative law and school personnel background when advising education clients. Her past decisions remain relevant to issues in West Virginia school personnel law, and her experience as a central office administrator informs her understanding of school district operations. She has also written about education-related legal developments, including school personnel deadlines and reporting requirements. Her practice connects labor and employment law with the specific needs of West Virginia public schools.

Law Office Affiliations

• Of Counsel, Dinsmore & Shohl LLP
• Member, The West Virginia State Bar

Licensed State

• West Virginia

Education

• West Virginia University College of Law
  Juris Doctor (JD)
• Bluefield State College
  Bachelor of Science (BS)

Awards & Badges