A native of Charleston, Damon Ellis of Mani Ellis & Layne, PLLC has built a reputation as a confident and professional attorney who gives his clients his fullest attention.
"Our slogan here is, 'It's not just business, it's personal,'" he says. "And we do take it personally. Whether it's a $2,000 case or a $10 million case, we treat every case as something personal. We work one-on-one with our clients and are as accessible as we can be."
After college, Ellis headed north to Ohio to go to law school, receiving his J.D. from Capital University in Columbus in 2000. Returning to Charleston, he practiced in a general practice law firm with one of his current partners, Jonathan Mani. He and Mani shared a vision about the legal services they wanted to provide to people in the community. In 2004, they launched their own law firm.
"We left with no cases and set up a two-room office in a building here in town," Ellis recalls. "It was a bit scary."
Helping clients
Success came quickly, and the firm continues to build on that success. Ellis has personally achieved justice for numerous clients who have been injured as the result of negligence. While he loves representing individuals, he points out that sometimes companies are wronged as well.
"Whether it's an individual or a corporation, we don't like them being taken advantage of," Ellis says. "If there's a victim, whether it's an individual or a company, I want to represent them. I want them to see justice, whether it's financial compensation or otherwise."
Ellis is known as an even-tempered person, but he admits that he can sometimes be more aggressive in court and in dealing with opposing counsel when the situation warrants.
"I'm very competitive and my partners are too," he says. "We may raise our voices from time to time, but it's not about being uncivil, it's about being passionate about what we do and making sure our clients are taken care of."
In 2021, Ellis brought his practice back to the city where he learned the law when the firm opened a second office in Columbus. He’s proud to fight for underdogs throughout both West Virginia and Ohio.
"Words can’t express how vital and kind your help was a few months ago in some of the hardest few weeks of my life. Your tremendous help truly made the difference. Your kindness and care truly made all the difference. You were my guardian angel. You are one of those golden gems of a person who keeps my faith in humanity alive. I’ll always be so grateful.”
-Kristen P.
Family and free time
Ellis also cares about his community and finds time to participate in school career days.
When he's not practicing law, Ellis enjoys spending time with his family, as well as following soccer and college sports.
Super Lawyers
Attorney Damon Ellis has been recognized by Super Lawyers every year since 2019. Super Lawyers is a rating service of outstanding lawyers from more than 70 practice areas who have attained a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. This selection process includes independent research, peer nominations, and peer evaluations.
Ellis is dually licensed to serve clients in West Virginia and Ohio.
Charleston, WV
Mani Ellis & Layne, PLLC
10 Hale St Suite 501
Charleston, WV 25301
Phone: (304) 720-1000
Columbus, OH
Mani Ellis & Layne, PLLC
20 E Broad St Suite 1000
Columbus, OH 43215
Phone: (614) 587-8423
A native of Charleston, Damon Ellis of Mani Ellis & Layne, PLLC has built a reputation as a confident and professional attorney who gives his clients his fullest attention.