WEST VIRGINIA RECORD

BRIDGEPORT -– The Best Lawyers in America, regarded as the definitive guide to legal excellence in the United States, has announced that 82 attorneys from the law firm of Steptoe & Johnson have been included in its 2012 list.

Also, the firm is a top-listed firm in West Virginia for the third consecutive year. Six attorneys have received recognition for the first time and 44 of the firm's practice areas are ranked at the top of their respective categories.

For 2012, Steptoe & Johnson received the following top rankings:

* Top-listed in the United States in Professional Malpractice Law

* Top-listed in Pennsylvania in Oil and Gas Law

* Top-listed in Ohio in Natural Resources Law

* Top-listed firm in West Virginia for the third consecutive year

Plus, Steptoe & Johnson is top-listed in West Virginia in 44 practice areas including:

* Oil and Gas

* Energy

* Environmental

* Natural resources

* Real Estate

* Water

The complete list of Steptoe & Johnson attorneys included among The Best Lawyers in America is available by visiting: http://www.steptoe-johnson.com/bestlawyers.aspx.

Several of these attorneys have produced videos which provide useful tips on legal issues in areas such as employment and energy law. View them at: http://www.steptoe-johnson.com/know-how.

Steptoe & Johnson is a regional, business-focused firm with strengths in energy, labor, employment, and litigation. It comprises over 200 lawyers resident in ten locations throughout West Virginia, Ohio, Kentucky and Pennsylvania.

The Best Lawyers in America compiles directories of outstanding attorneys by conducting exhaustive peer-review surveys in which thousands of leading lawyers confidentially evaluate their professional peers. In the U.S., an annual referral guide is published which includes 39,766 attorneys in 80 practice areas, covering all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The current, 17th edition is based on more than 3.1 million detailed evaluations of lawyers by other lawyers.

For more information about the firm, visit www.steptoe-johnson.com.