News

Two outstanding female attorneys who passed away in 2023 will be recognized posthumously at the College of Law’s graduation ceremony on May 10. Longtime public interest lawyer Cathy “Cat” McConnell and Kanawha County Circuit Court Judge Joanna Tabit will receive the 2024 College of Law Justitia Officium Awards.  Established in 1978 to mark the 100th anniversary of the College of Law, the Justitia Officium is the highest honor bestowed by the law faculty in recognition of outstanding contributions and service to the legal profession.  Family members will accept the awards on behalf of the late attorneys. 

Cathy "Cat" McConnell

Cat McConnell served as the Executive Director of West Virginia Senior Legal Aid organization for over 25 years. She was a 1995 graduate of the WVU College of Law and a beloved figure in the West Virginia public interest community. She was a fierce advocate for disability rights and environmental justice who mentored many aspiring public interest attorneys. 

According to her daughter, Olivia, Cat was easily identified by the long flowing hair that she hadn't cut in decades, a wardrobe full of colorful tie dyes, and her beautiful singing voice. 

Originally from Ithaca, NY, West Virginia University College of Law Professor and Research Director for the Center for Energy and Sustainable Development Annie Eisenberg was first interested in pursuing law after being advised that a law degree comes with power for making change in the world. 

She was also interested in the language of law. 

“I’m interested in language and how lawyers can use words to encourage different audiences to think about things differently, whether in the courtroom, as advocates or scholars, or wearing other hats,” said Eisenberg.

So, how did someone from the middle of the Finger Lakes make it to Morgantown, West Virginia? 

Thousands of West Virginia University graduates will celebrate their successes Commencement Weekend May 10-12 alongside eight honorary degree recipients and two speakers during nine ceremonies at the Coliseum.

“It is important for our graduates to see and hear from those who have successfully followed their own paths of purpose,” President Gordon Gee said. “Our esteemed honorary degree recipients and speakers, representing fields from politics to performance to philanthropy and more, are making the world a better place. Our hope is our graduates can find inspiration as they take important steps in their own lives.”

See the full Commencement Weekend schedule.

Third year West Virginia University Law student Parker D’Antoni recently received national recognition for his outstanding performance at a student trial competition held at the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law in Baltimore. 

At the conclusion of the preliminary rounds of the National Trial Competition hosted by the Texas Young Lawyers Association, D’Antoni was named “best overall attorney” out of 22 teams representing twelve regional law schools. He received the highest score in each of the four rounds of preliminary competition, held in early February. 

D’Antoni, 26, of Saint Albans, and his teammate, Lucas Tanner, 24, of Rosedale, were required to argue both sides in a criminal trial that involved a fictional burglary and felony theft. WVU Law alumni John Pizzo and Mitch Moore coached the team, who spent nearly ten hours arguing the cases over the course of the two-day competition.

On January 19, West Virginia University Law students Emmanuel Backus and Logan Wagner came in second place in the 23rd Annual American Bar Association Law Student Tax Challenge – J.D. Division – (LSTC) held during the ABA Tax Section’s its Mid-Year meeting in San Francisco, California. The LSTC, organized annually by the Tax Section’s Young Lawyer Forum, is recognized as one of the premier transactional tax law competitions in the country.

With a rich history in West Virginia, it is no wonder that so many West Virginia University (WVU) College of Law alumni choose to spend part (or in some cases all) of their careers at Steptoe & Johnson PLLC. In fact, 110 years after the firm got its start in Clarksburg, 110 of the firm’s 320 plus attorneys completed their law degrees as Mountaineers. 

In 2023, six new attorneys with a J.D. from WVU College of Law joined Steptoe & Johnson. Many of them say their invaluable experience gained as a law student can be attributed to their success today.

“The opportunities available at WVU College of Law provided me with an opportunity to gain firsthand experience working in the energy industry through an internship with Chesapeake Energy LLC during the summer between my 2L and 3L years,” says Evan Conard, an energy litigation attorney who joined Steptoe & Johnson in November. “Additionally, various course offerings at the College of Law also provided the necessary background of legal principles of energy law that I regularly apply in my practice. I am able to build upon this background and experience through my practice at Steptoe & Johnson by focusing on energy litigation matters.” 

The West Virginia University College of Law Lugar Trial Association held its annual Lugar Cup in-house trial competition in November. 

WVU College of Law alumni Ben Vanston and Jacob Trombley became friends through an unlikely matchmaker: the West Virginia bar exam. They met through a new College of Law initiative that pairs recent graduates with newer alumni to mentor them and provide support as the bar exam approaches. About 40 WVU Law graduates participated in the pilot Peer Bar Exam Consultant project.

Vanston, who graduated in 2021 and now works for a Charleston law firm, was paired with Trombley, a 2023 graduate now working in Kingwood. Beginning in May, they talked weekly —sometimes for up to two hours — about the rigor of the test and the effort needed to pass the July exam.

About halfway through the summer study marathon, Vanston said he realized that Trombley was scoring well on practice tests and was likely to pass, so he shifted his attention to helping ease the stress and mental exhaustion of preparing for a three-day exam.

PreLaw Magazine has named WVU Law among the 2023 Best Schools for Public Service: Public Interest. Lawyers who practice public interest law help those who cannot afford legal services and the underrepresented, including the poor, the elderly, children and victims of domestic violence.

The College of Law, in conjunction with the nonprofit West Virginia Fund for Law in the Public Interest, has a long history of commitment to public interest law.

Since 1987, these two entities have built a program that provides approximately 20 summer fellowships along with one-year postgraduate placements with a public interest entity in West Virginia. These experiences have created a generation of attorneys ready to serve the greatest needs of our state. 

Q: Tell us a little bit about yourself. 

A: I am from Oceana, WV, and I'm currently a 3L at WVU Law. I graduated from WVU Tech in Beckley, WV, where I majored in Public Service Administration.