Heather Wood

Professional career

• Judge Heather A. Wood was appointed to the First Family Court Circuit in 2018 and was subsequently elected later that year, with a re-election in 2024, reflecting her continued service and community trust in her judicial role.
• Worked in the First Circuit Public Defender Office in Wheeling beginning in 1996, then joined Frankovitch, Anetakis, Colantonio and Simon in Weirton in 2000, practicing family law, bankruptcy and civil litigation.
• After law school, she held the role of a public defender at the First Judicial Circuit Public Defender Corporation in Wheeling, West Virginia, starting in 1996.
• She also held a limited license to practice law while in school and worked at the Tulsa County Public Defender’s office

Education

Additional information

• Appointment in 2018, election later that year, and reelection in 2024.
• In 2000, she joined the law firm Frankovitch, Anetakis, Colantonio & Simon in Weirton, West Virginia, where she practiced family law, bankruptcy, and general civil litigation.
• Judge Wood earned her bachelor’s degree with departmental honors from the University of New Mexico in 1991 and graduated from the University of Tulsa College of Law in 1996.
• Family court judge in the First Family Circuit covering Brooke, Hancock and Ohio counties.
• She presides over family law cases including divorce, annulments, paternity, visitation, and parental responsibility matters, except for cases involving child abuse and neglect.
• During law school, she was a member of the Order of the Barristers, participated in NITA and ATLA Moot Court trial teams, and received awards such as the CALI Excellence for the Future Award in Evidence Workshop and the Oklahoma Trial Handbook Award.
• In law school she participated in trial advocacy teams and received advocacy and evidence honors.
• She has also coached and refereed soccer and served on its local board.
• Beyond her legal career, Judge Wood has been actively involved in youth soccer in the Upper Ohio Valley, serving as a coach, referee, and board member of a local soccer league.
• She resides in Weirton, West Virginia, with her husband, Jack, and their two children.