PERSONNEL FILE: 56 Steptoe & Johnson attorneys named to Best Lawyers list

CLARKSBURG -- Fifty-six Steptoe & Johnson attorneys representing offices throughout West Virginia and Ohio received honors in the 2009 edition of The Best Lawyers in America for distinguished work.

In addition, for the second year, the law firm of Steptoe & Johnson is ranked first in West Virginia with 53 attorneys recognized in The Best Lawyers in America.

The Best Lawyers in America list is compiled through an extensive peer-review study of thousands of the top lawyers across the country. The following attorneys are included:

* Laurie C. Barbe - Insurance Law

* Michael W. Barill - Tax Law

* Kenneth J. Barton Jr. - Real Estate Law

* Rodney L. Bean - Appellate Law

* Ralph J. Bean Jr. - Energy Law

* Armando F. Benincasa - Water Law

* Henry C. Bowen - Workers' Compensation Law

* Susan S. Brewer - Legal Malpractice Law; Medical Malpractice Law; Personal Injury Litigation

* George E. Carenbauer - Government Relations Law

* Bridget M. Cohee - Legal Malpractice Law

* Bryan R. Cokeley - Labor & Employment Law

* Vincent A. Collins - Public Finance Law

* Gordon H. Copland - Antitrust Law; Health Care Law

* Patrick D. Deem - Corporate Law; Energy Law; Natural Resources Law; Oil & Gas Law; Real Estate Law

* David E. Dick - Labor & Employment Law

* Louis E. Enderle Jr. - Real Estate Law

* W. Randolph Fife - Insurance Law

* Sharon O. Flanery - Energy Law; Mining Law; Natural Resources Law; Oil & Gas Law

* William E. Galeota - Commercial Litigation; Medical Malpractice Law; Personal Injury Litigation

* Brian D. Gallagher - Real Estate Law

* Charles F. Johns - Medical Malpractice Law

* John H. Johnston - Oil & Gas Law

* Patrick D. Kelly - Health Care Law

* Evans L. King Jr. - Banking Law; Corporate Law

* W. Henry Lawrence - Energy Law; Environmental Law

* Jamie L. Leary - Employee Benefits Law

* Douglas G. Lee - Workers' Compensation Law

* Lucien G. Lewin - Personal Injury Litigation

* Richard L. Lewis - Environmental Law

* Randall C. Light - Real Estate Law

* E. Dandridge McDonald - Energy Law

* Steven P. McGowan - Energy Law

* Edward A. Matto - Antitrust Law

* John R. Merinar Jr. - Labor & Employment Law

* Katerina M. Milenkovski - Environmental Law

* C. David Morrison - Labor & Employment Law; Mining Law

* Gary W. Nickerson - Workers' Compensation Law

* Jeffrey K. Phillips - Personal Injury Litigation

* Robert D. Pollitt - Mining Law

* Patricia Proctor - Oil & Gas Law

* Ancil G. Ramey - Appellate Law; Commercial Litigation

* Larry J. Rector - Labor & Employment Law

* James A. Russell - Corporate Law; Real Estate Law

* Christopher L. Slaughter - Labor & Employment Law

* Arthur M. Standish - Bankruptcy and Creditor-Debtor Rights Law; Real Estate Law

* Robert M. Steptoe, Jr. - Alternative Dispute Resolution; Commercial Litigation; Labor & Employment Law

* H. Toney Stroud - Workers' Compensation Law

* John C. Stump - Project Finance Law; Public Finance Law

* Joanna I. Tabit - Appellate Law

* Thomas A. Vorbach - Tax Law

* Sherri S. Whalen - Elder Law

* L. Frederick Williams Jr. - Corporate Law; Project Finance Law; Public Finance Law; Structured Finance Law; Tax Law; Trusts and Estates

* Walter L. Williams - Health Care Law

* William D. Wilmoth - Commercial Litigation; Legal Malpractice Law; White-Collar Criminal Defense

* James M. Wilson - Alternative Dispute Resolution; Personal Injury Litigation

* Richard M. Yurko Jr. - Labor & Employment Law

The firm is first throughout West Virginia in the following categories:

* Alternative Dispute Resolution

* Antitrust Law

* Appellate Law

* Banking Law

* Commercial Litigation

* Elder Law

* Energy Law

* Health Care Law

* Insurance Law

* Labor & Employment Law

* Legal Malpractice Law

* Medical Malpractice Law

* Oil & Gas Law

* Project Finance Law

* Public Finance Law

* Real Estate Law

* Structured Finance Law

* Tax Law

* Water Law

Steptoe has been featured in the publication for more than 20 years, while Deem, King and McDonald have been listed as Best Lawyers for more than 10 years.

Established in 1913, Steptoe & Johnson is no stranger to leading lawyer directories. The firm's attorneys frequently appear in surveys listing top practitioners –- publications such as Chambers USA America's Leading Lawyers for Business and America's Greatest Places to Work with a Law Degree -- and it has achieved the highest rating given by Martindale-Hubbell.

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

Published biennially since 1983, The Best Lawyers in America is widely regarded as the preeminent referral guide to the legal profession in the United States. The Best Lawyers in America list represents 80 specialties in all 50 states and Washington, D.C.

The referral guide is subscribed to by more than 4,000 of the leading law firms in the U.S. and abroad, and by more than 1,000 of the world's largest corporations.

For twenty years, law firms and major corporations have used The Best Lawyers in America to locate counsel in unfamiliar jurisdictions for major legal matters. The Best Lawyers in America list is compiled through an extensive peer-review study of thousands of the top lawyers across the country.