Ralph Young grew up in Erie, PA, and later Pittsburgh, PA, before attending school at West Virginia University in Morgantown. There, he obtained his private pilot license while obtaining a Bachelor of Arts in English and a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Relations before obtaining his J.D. from the WVU College of Law in 1979. Ralph arrived in Fayette County shortly after graduating law school to work for Pat Hamilton. Ralph never took another job and eventually became a partner in the firm with his dear friends Lynn Pollard (retired) and Kevin Burgess. Throughout his career, Ralph made it his mission to represent the little guy – those with few means being taken advantage of by big business, be it insurance behemoths or giant financial institutions. Ralph Young was a pillar of his community, and never declined the opportunity to lend a helping hand to his friends and neighbors. His hobbies were many and varied, from wood carving, to WWII Jeep restoration, to flying his 1941 Piper Cub.

Tragically, we lost Ralph on October 6, 2018. His spirit lives on through the law firm which still bears his name and through his wonderful family who became as much a part of our firm as their father and husband. Ralph was always an innovator in his field and a tireless advocate for his clients. Thanks to the ongoing generosity of his contemporaries in the consumer bar, Ralph’s innovation lives on through the West Virginia College of Law Ralph C. Young, Jr. Consumer Law Fellowship which was established shortly after his passing to further the cause of consumer protection and advocacy. Although he can never be replaced, Mr. Young’s firm continues to strive to embody the traits that made Ralph the great man, lawyer, and friend that we all knew him to be.