Stephen R Crislip

Stephen R. Crislip is the General Counsel to the Firm and has been a Member since 1980 and an associate beginning in 1973. His practice focuses primarily in litigation with an emphasis on the defense of cases involving professional responsibility, general litigation, construction litigation and business litigation. He has served on the Firm's Executive Committee and most of its committees. Before joining the Firm, Mr. Crislip was a graduate assistant and academic adviser at West Virginia University where he majored in political science, graduating Phi Beta Kappa in 1970 with honors, and was a Rhodes Scholar finalist in 1969 and 1970. He graduated from the West Virginia University College of Law in 1973, Order of the Coif, and became an associate at the Firm. For two years, he was involved in labor litigation before moving to the Commercial Litigation Practice Group. Mr. Crislip has been admitted to practice in West Virginia, in the Northern and Southern Districts of West Virginia, the Eastern District of Kentucky, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals and the United States Supreme Court. He has been active in the the Defense Research Institute, the American Bar Association, the West Virginia Bar Association and the West Virginia State Bar. He is a former Board of Governor's member and former President of the Defense Trial Counsel of West Virginia and is the former President of the West Virginia Bar Association. He served as the President of the Association of Defense Trial Attorneys (ADTA), is a former member of its Executive Council, a former State Chairman and former National Membership Chair. He serves on the Board of Directors of the Defense Research Institute. He is a Fellow of the American Bar Association and a Fellow of the West Virginia State Bar Foundation. Mr. Crislip has been active in the Charleston community having served ten years on the Board of Directors of the Charleston Family YMCA and is a former Chairman of its Board. He served as a trustee of The Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation from 1996 to 2003 and served as Chairman of the Board. He has also served as the Chairman of the Visiting Committee at the West Virginia University College of Law. He has served on the Board of the Alzheimer's Association, West Virginia Chapter. He has been a lecturer for West Virginia CLE and various other bar‑related groups. He was the chapter author on evidence for the prototype Fourth Circuit handbook and is now the West Virginia chapter author for The Tort Law Desk Reference, a Fifty‑State Compendium, as well as the ABA Legal Malpractice Compendium for West Virginia. He is a chapter author for a Defense Research Institute book on law office management. He is also the author of a legal humor book titled Down To The Hard Road, as well as Lawyering for Lawyers, a national blog site. Mr. Crislip is a Peer Review Rated attorney by Martindale‑Hubbell. He is named in Woodward/White's The Best Lawyers in America® 2003‑2014 and 2007‑2013 West Virginia Super Lawyers®. He was also named the 2012 Charleston, West Virginia, Legal Malpractice Lawyer of the Year in the 17th edition of The Best Lawyers in America®. WVU Extension Service, Master Gardener Greenbrier Sporting Club The Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation, Chairman of the Board (2001‑2002), Trustee (1996‑2005), Scholarship Committee (1992‑1995) Charleston YMCA, Board of Directors (1995‑2000), Chairman (1997‑1998) Boy Scouts of America, Fundraiser YMCA, Fundraiser Trustee, Allergy Rehabilitation Foundation (1976‑1979) Citizens Task Force, City of Charleston, WV (1974‑1975) West Virginia Alzheimer's Association, Board of Directors (2003‑2004)