Ashley Hardesty Odell focuses her practice on labor and employment law, and enjoys counseling and advising employers on many workplace issues, including discrimination and harassment, wage and hourly issues, employee handbooks, workplace safety and employment agreements.

Ashley also has experience litigating many types of matters in both state and federal courts. She continues to manage other litigation matters involving business disputes, commercial collections, construction litigation, property damage and personal injury defense.  Her strong evaluation, management and advocacy skills allow her to routinely resolve her clients’ disputes efficiently, avoiding unnecessary litigation costs.

Ashley serves as Bowles Rice's Diversity Partner, and as practice group leader for litigators in the firm's Morgantown, Wheeling, Southpointe and Martinsburg offices. She also leads both the firm's Insurance Defense Group and the Extracontractual/Bad Faith and Coverage Team.  She was a co-author of the West Virginia section of Defense Research Institute’s 2015 State by State Insurance Bad Faith Law Compendium. She is also a member of the firm's Recruiting Committee.

Since 2013, Ashley has been recognized as a Rising Star for Business Litigation by West Virginia Super Lawyers. In 2016, she was selected as a West Virginia Wonder Woman by West Virginia Living magazine. The award recognized women “who, through hard work and determination, have made West Virginia a better place to live.”  She was also selected as a 2008 “Generation Next:  40 Under 40” award winner and as a 2010 Generation West Virginia Regional All-Star.  In 2014, she received the Young Alumni Award from West Virginia University. She has served as president of the Monongalia County Bar Association, and is a graduate of Leadership Monongalia.

An active member of her community, Ashley is involved with many civic and professional organizations, including the North Central West Virginia Society for Human Resource Management, the WVU College of Law Visiting Committee, the Defense Trial Counsel of West Virginia, Defense Research Institute (DRI), the Morgantown Area Chamber of Commerce and United Way of Monongalia and Preston Counties. She was a founder of Generation Morgantown and served on the economic development committee for Generation West Virginia and as a member of the Power of 32 Steering Committee.  She has been a frequent contributor to Court Watch, an annual overview of recent West Virginia Supreme Court decisions, at the West Virginia Chamber of Commerce’s annual Business Summit.