Legal Representation Is Public Service for Rosemary Humway-Warmuth
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WHEELING - Rosemary Humway-Warmuth has always enjoyed taking on the challenges of the legal profession, and when the law is applied in a way that benefits the community she serves, her role in the process can reap immeasurable rewards.
For nearly three decades, Humway-Warmuth has headed the city of Wheeling’s Legal Department, serving as City Solicitor. In 2026, she will mark 29 years of service in this role.
"Practicing municipal law is extremely rewarding because it touches so many everyday things," she said. "It touches everyday lives. Most of the things that come across my desk are things that are going to affect the everyday lives of the people in the community."
As City Solicitor, Humway-Warmuth acts as general counsel for the city. The position is much like general counsel for a corporation, she noted, because the city operates as a municipal corporation.
"By charter, the city solicitor really has a very in-depth description," she said. "My role is to obviously give advice to the city manager, administrative senior staff, city council - as the governing body, and department heads, as needed."
The city’s Legal Department also advises municipal boards and commissions. It serves as representatives of the city administration during hearings and meetings. She or an assistant from the legal department are available when these bodies have a legal question or ask for an opinion. "Anything that has a legal question or implication, needs to go through the legal department."
In Wheeling, that Legal Department consists of Humway-Warmuth and Assistant City Solicitor Howard Klatt. They also contract with firms to serve as special counsel for real estate matters.
"It’s a very small staff," Humway-Warmuth said. "I like to say we are a small but mighty department!"
A Wheeling native, Humway-Warmuth’s path to the City Solicitor’s position did not come via a direct route. After graduating from college and passing the bar, she found herself downstate. She went to Charleston after law school and was hired into a division that worked with state colleges and universities in West Virginia - a significant step into public law for her.
"I was an assistant attorney general for the state of West Virginia for five or six years," she said, noting that she focused on crafting and approving contracts, dealing with grievances and performing other legal work for the Attorney General’s office. "You work with a set of laws that are common to the state of West Virginia, and it’s a public thing. I tend to like that area of law. One of the agencies that I had was West Liberty, that’s how I met my husband."
When the couple married, a satellite office was established in order for Humway-Warmuth to have a base that was closer to the institutions in the Northern Panhandle that were part of her workload. Experience in public law put her on a path that opened doors when an opportunity arose in the legal department in her hometown of Wheeling.
"The niche that was necessary to fill here. I felt that I could fulfill that, because it was public law," she said. "I like doing what I’m doing, because I serve my city manager, my fellow administrators, my governing body ... but primarily, you’re serving the community. You’re serving the municipality."
Responsibilities range from composing and tweaking language in contracts, crafting bid language and new legislation, providing legal advice and sometimes even helping to blaze a trail for other municipalities in the state to follow.
"Years ago, we were one of the first cities that jumped in - among the first four or five cities - in regard to Home Rule," Humway-Warmuth said. "It was an opportunity to develop legislation that we believed was lacking in the state code or did not go far enough for the municipalities."
A big part of the role is to comprise law based on sound legal principles and to apply it, making sure it is realistic and can be accomplished, she said, adding that working in municipal or governmental law is in many ways different from working for a private law firm.
"You’re not in it for the dollar bill," Humway-Warmuth noted. "If so, you’re not going to be a career person."
It’s the public service that makes the job rewarding, as well as the opportunities to serve in many other capacities. Humway-Warmuth has been recognized for her work on the local, state, national and international levels. She just recently completed her presidency at the International Municipal Lawyers Association - the first time a representative of West Virginia served in that role.
"It was quite an honor and a humbling experience," she said. "I met so many people from across the country, from Canada and afar. We all love the communities we serve - it gives you much more of a public purpose."
Humway-Warmuth is considered a fellow at the IMLA for her expertise in the field of municipal law, an honor she has sustained for 25 years. She was also the president of the West Virginia Municipal Attorneys Association until last year, serving in that role for nearly two decades, and has also worked with the West Virginia Municipal League.
In the legal profession, you have to look at issues from all sides and sometimes have to play devil’s advocate. In doing so, tough decisions oftentimes have to be made, and not all parties impacted by decisions will be happy. But those are the challenges that typically bring great rewards.
"To quote Mick Jagger, 'You can’t always get what you want.'" Humway-Warmuth said. "You can’t please everyone all of the time. However, you strive to do the best for all the parties involved. It’s that balancing. That’s probably true for all legal practitioners. You want to try to do what’s best for the majority."
Through the years, much has changed in the legal profession.
"Legal research has advanced so very seriously over the past 50 years," she said, noting that the reliance of books and law libraries have evolved to convenient online or digital access of everything lawyers need at their fingertips. "You still need to know the fundamentals. But legal research has gone leaps and bounds. It is a wonderful tool."
But the technological convenience comes with a double-edge sword, Humway-Warmuth noted. Some attorneys today are finding that using things like artificial intelligence to generate briefs for their cases can have pitfalls and even consequences if facts are not checked.
"You can’t lose diligence," she said. "You have to double check what is being generated when creating legal arguments. You always have to watch out for that potential glitch."
It’s important to stay on point with changing laws and trends, and Humway-Warmuth said attending conferences on a regular basis helps attorneys get the latest and best information.
Aside from taking joy in crafting legislation, Humway-Warmuth also finds rewards in other avenues of serving the public. She has headed the popular Wheeling Feeling Chili Cookoff fundraiser for more than two decades.
"I have enjoyed many years of chairing the Chili Cookoff," she said, noting that she has chaired the fundraiser for 25 years now. "We’re closing in on around $200,000 raised for the Upper Ohio Valley United Way."
The Chili Cookoff sponsored by the city of Wheeling was the first city event to utilize the waterfront at the newly renovated Heritage Port, Humway-Warmuth said.
"We tried to make it a great development tool," she said, noting that the annual event brings visitors and champion-class chili chefs from out of town and the money raised stays locally. "Every penny that we make goes out to agencies within this valley."
Chili aside, Humway-Warmuth also has a passion for competitive cooking in general. She has won on the state level to make it to the Pillsbury Bakeoff twice.
She still has family in town - including her mother and sister - and they are in the process of renovating the old family home, a grand stone house in East Wheeling.
"Some day, I’ll sit back and smell the roses," she said. "I have a lot of great loves. But I still have a lot to give to the city of Wheeling through this office. "I’m from Wheeling, and I love what I do. I love coming into work every day, and I find it challenging. There’s always something different."