WEST VIRGINIA RECORD

CLARKSBURG -- Steptoe & Johnson has been ranked number one in five practice categories in the annual Chambers USA guide America's Leading Lawyers for Business.

In addition, 16 Steptoe & Johnson attorneys have been ranked as "Leaders in Their Field."

Steptoe & Johnson was ranked number one by Chambers USA in the following practice areas:

* Natural Resources

* Real Estate

* Litigation: General Commercial

* Corporate/Commercial

* Labor & Employment

The following Steptoe & Johnson attorneys were recognized as "Leaders in Their Field"

* Rodney L. Bean - Labor & Employment – Morgantown

* Susan S. Brewer - Litigation: Healthcare – Morgantown

* Bryan R. Cokeley - Labor & Employment – Charleston

* Patrick D. Deem - Corporate/Commercial – Clarksburg

* David E. Dick - Labor & Employment – Morgantown

* Louis E. Enderle Jr. - Real Estate – Clarksburg

* Sharon O. Flanery - Natural Resources – Charleston

* William E. Galeota - Litigation: General Commercial – Morgantown

* Robert E. Gifford - Litigation: Mass Tort – Clarksburg

* C. David Morrison - Labor & Employment – Clarksburg

* Jeffrey K. Phillips - Litigation: General Commercial – Charleston

* James A. Russell - Natural Resources – Morgantown

* Christopher L. Slaughter - Labor & Employment – Huntington

* Robert M. Steptoe Jr. - Labor & Employment – Clarksburg

* John C. Stump - Corporate/Commercial – Charleston

* L. Frederick Williams, Jr. - Corporate/Commercial – Charleston

"The Chambers rankings reflect our clients' perception of Steptoe & Johnson attorneys and we're very pleased that the firm's commitment to provide the highest level of legal services has been recognized," said Bob Steptoe, CEO of Steptoe & Johnson.

Established in 1913, Steptoe & Johnson is no stranger to leading lawyer directories. Its attorneys frequently appear in surveys listing top practitioners -- publications such as The Best Lawyers in America®, Super Lawyers, America's Greatest Places to Work with a Law Degree, as well as achieving the highest rating given by Martindale-Hubbell's Peer Review Ratings.

Each year Chambers and Partners carries out thousands of in-depth interviews with clients to assess the reputations and expertise of business lawyers across the United States.

The rankings are based upon the recommendations of clients and lawyers throughout the United States. Law firms and individual lawyers are ranked on a scale of 1-6, with an additional ranking awarded to those considered up and coming, and for lawyers with exceptional recommendations in their field. Attorneys are ranked on qualities such as technical ability, professional conduct, commitment, client service and commercial awareness.

Steptoe & Johnson is a business-focused firm with particular strengths in energy, labor and litigation supporting over 30 areas of practice. The firm is comprised of more than 180 lawyers resident in seven locations throughout West Virginia and Ohio. For nearly a century, Steptoe & Johnson has demonstrated its commitment to quality, devoting personal attention, experience, skill, and resources to client-focused service.

Chambers and Partners, based in London, produces the annual Chambers USA: America's Leading Business Lawyers. Top firms and top attorneys are ranked and their merits described –- usually in the words of clients the publisher has interviewed. For more information, visit www.chambersandpartners.com

For more information, visit the firm's Web site at www.steptoe-johnson.com.