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Morgantown, W.Va. —  WVU Law and  West Virginia Executive magazine are pleased to announced the exceptional legal professionals who have been named to the Lawyers & Leaders Class of 2020. 

Founded in 2017, the Lawyers & Leaders program recognizes the accomplishments of legal professionals who have made a positive impact on the state and the nation and have dedicated their careers to serving others and their communities. Nominees are required to either be practicing law in West Virginia or be a graduate of WVU Law. 

The 2020 Lawyers and Leaders are:

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Investing in renewable energy is a viable solution to diversifying and strengthening West Virginia’s economy. And according to a new report issued by the Center for Energy and Sustainable Development at the West Virginia University College of Law, the switch to renewable energy would be cost-effective and can be done in a way that creates thousands of jobs — and may even save consumers money.

Titled “ West Virginia’s Energy Future,” the report shows West Virginia can dramatically increase renewable energy production over the next 15 years, generating over 70% of the state’s electricity from wind and solar by 2035. Currently, less than 5% of the state’s electricity comes from those sources.

“West Virginia’s electric utilities are already planning to retire their coal-fired power plants by 2050 at the latest,” said James Van Nostrand, director of the Center for Energy and Sustainable Development. “The question we need to confront today is whether we want the electric utilities to continue tacking costs onto customer’s bills over the next few decades to keep those plants afloat, or do we want them to invest now to create local jobs in the growing renewable energy economy and reduce our exposure to downswings in the coal industry.”

The report compares the current trajectory of West Virginia’s electric utilities — estimated to maintain 84% coal-fired generation in 2035 — against an alternative future of more energy efficiency, solar energy, and wind energy. The result is 78% emission-free energy generation by 2035.

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — West Virginia University College of Law has been named a 2021 Top Law School for Business Law by preLaw Magazine.

The publication awarded the college’s business law program a grade of A- based on opportunities for students, including courses, clinics, externships and co-curricular activities. Those opportunities include a J.D./Online MBA dual degree offered in collaboration with WVU's John Chambers College of Business and Economics.  

“We are proud to be recognized for our business law program,” said John Taylor, interim dean.  “This honor speaks to the excellence of our faculty in the areas of corporate and commercial law, our strong experiential learning opportunities in these areas, and our close relationship with the Chambers College of Business and Economics.” 

The list of Top Laws Schools for Business Law appears in the current issue of preLaw Magazine. 

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — A pioneering Supreme Court justice is leaving a legacy at West Virginia University College of Law that will benefit the state’s children and families.

Margaret Workman, the first woman elected to the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia, has given $50,000 to establish an endowment for the Child and Family Advocacy Law Clinic.

The Justice Margaret Workman Child Advocacy Endowment is in memory of her late children, Lindsay Gardner and Ted Gardner. The gift will help support the operation of the law clinic, which provides practical training for law students serving those in need.

“A major focus of my judicial career has been to shape a court system more protective of children’s rights and more effective in helping families in crisis,” Workman said. “This gift will support the Child and Family Advocacy Law Clinic in its work on these same goals. I owe the WVU College of Law a debt of gratitude for my legal education and the opportunity it has provided me for a very satisfying career.”

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — The West Virginia University College of Law is offering a free webinar on understanding the Electoral College on November 3, Election Day, at noon.

The presenter is Keith Hoover, administrative counsel for the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia. He will discuss what a vote for president means, the history of the Electoral College, how it works, criticisms and possible reforms.

The webinar is hosted by West Virginia Continuing Legal Education. It is free, but registration is required.

WHEELING, W. Va.  – U.S. Attorney Bill Powell has hired four new Assistant U.S. Attorneys in the Northern District of West Virginia.

Christopher L. Bauer, Eleanor F. Hurney, Maximilian F. Nogay, and Clayton J. Reid, all recent graduates of WVU Law, were sworn in over the past few months.

“A position as an Assistant United States Attorney is a coveted one. We receive dozens of applications for every one opening, and many of the applicants are highly qualified. Ultimately, we hire the best person for the position, and we have done so again. I am very proud of our team in this district, and I am confident that our new Assistant United States Attorneys will continue the great work our district is recognized for,” said Powell, a 1985 WVU Law graduate.

Christopher L. Bauer is working in the criminal division in the District’s Clarksburg, West Virginia, office. He received his bachelor's degree in legal studies and political science from William Paterson University in New Jersey. In 2016, he received his J.D./M.B.A from WVU, where he served on the West Virginia Law Review and the U.S. Supreme Court Clinic. From 2016 to 2017, Bauer worked as a litigation associate in the Bridgeport, West Virginia, office of Steptoe & Johnson PLLC. From 2017 to 2018, he served as a term law clerk for the Honorable Robert W. Trumble (WVU Law '84), U.S. Magistrate Judge. From 2018 to 2020, he served as a term law clerk for the Honorable Irene M. Keeley (WVU Law '80), Senior U.S. District Judge. 

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — West Virginia University College of Law students are working with the state’s American Civil Liberties Union to staff its 2020 Election Protection Hotline.

The hotline is helping citizens overcome roadblocks they may encounter as they exercise their fundamental civil right to vote.

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Amidst the global pandemic, the Class of 2023 at WVU Law has begun its legal education with a combination of online and in-person courses.

There are 111 students in the 1L class with a median entering GPA of 3.45 and a median LSAT score of 154, which is the same as last year. Approximately 38% of the class is from out-of-state.

Women make up 43% of the class. Eight percent of the 1Ls self-identify as a minority. The average age is 24, with an age range of 21 to 38. Almost 27% of the class is a first-generation college student.

Students in the Class of 2023 graduated from 41 colleges and universities. Some of the out-of-state schools represented are Baylor, Brown, Colorado State, George Mason, James Madison, Miami University of Ohio, Penn State, Temple, Texas A&M and the University of Virginia.

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Charles Jason Lively is a free man today after spending 14 years in prison for a crime he did not commit.

Lively, a client of the West Virginia Innocence Project Law Clinic at the West Virginia University College of Law, was granted exoneration on September 23 by Judge William Sadler in the Mercer County Circuit Court. Staff and students in the law clinic worked on Lively’s case with attorneys from Baker Botts L.L.P.

In 2006, Lively was found guilty of first-degree murder and arson following the death in 2005 of Dr. Ebb K. “Doc” Whitley in Iaeger, West Virginia. He was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole. 

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — The newly-established Fitzsimmons Center for Litigation and Advocacy at the West Virginia University College of Law will provide additional opportunities for students to enhance essential lawyering skills—including understanding and analyzing the applicable substantive and procedural law while translating that knowledge into effective written and oral advocacy during the litigation process.

The Fitzsimmons Law Firm announced the Fitzsimmons Foundation pledged a gift of $1.25 million to establish the Center, which will have the goal to train law students to become effective legal advocates by enhancing and expanding the litigation and advocacy curriculum at the College.