WEST VIRGINIA RECORD

BRIDGEPORT -- Nineteen Steptoe & Johnson attorneys have received honors as Best Lawyers' 2012 Lawyers of the Year, an increase from nine attorneys chosen for 2011.

Only one lawyer from each area of practice in each metro area was selected.

The Steptoe & Johnson lawyers who received the honor include:

CHARLESTON

* Bryan R. Cokeley, Litigation: Labor & Employment

* Sharon O. Flanery, Natural Resources Law

* Arthur M. Standish, Real Estate Law

* L. Frederick Williams Jr., Mergers & Acquisitions Law

MORGANTOWN

* Michael W. Barill, Tax Law

* Susan S. Brewer, Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants

* Gordon H. Copland, Litigation: Banking & Finance

* Patrick D. Deem, Energy Law

* Louis E. Enderle Jr., Real Estate Law

* William E. Galeota, Professional Malpractice Law

* Kelly Little Guice, Product Liability Litigation

* Evans L. King Jr., Mergers & Acquisitions Law

* Michael Kozakewich Jr., Litigation: Construction

* W. Henry Lawrence, Natural Resources Law

* C. David Morrison, Employment Law Management and Litigation: Labor & Employment

* Larry J. Rector, Criminal Defense: White-Collar

* James A. Russell, Corporate Law

* Robert M. Steptoe Jr., Bet-the-Company Litigation and Labor Law - Management

* Walter L. Williams, Health Care Law

Best Lawyers compiles its lists of outstanding attorneys by conducting surveys in which thousands of leading lawyers confidentially evaluate their professional peers. The current edition of Best Lawyers is based on more than 3.9 million detailed evaluations.

The Best Lawyers in America, regarded as the definitive guide to legal excellence in the United States, recently announced that 82 attorneys from 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. 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.

Steptoe & Johnson is a regional, business-focused firm with strengths in energy, labor, employment, and litigation. It comprises over 200 lawyers resident in 10 locations throughout West Virginia, Ohio, Kentucky and Pennsylvania.