McCune with her son, Ryan,
at Panama City Beach.
with. I look forward to coming to work
every day. Each case presents a new par-
ticular challenge, and I learn new things
all the time. Thirty years ago, I never
would have dreamed that I would one
day shoot a gun or read autopsy reports
or explain toxicology reports to a jury,
but today I do.”
The focus of McCune’s practice as chief
public defender is homicide cases and juve-
nile law. She represents low-income defen-
dants and frequently acts as lead counsel
on the office’s most challenging, high-pro-
file cases. Under her leadership, the public
defender’s office has grown to be the larg-
est law firm in Mingo County. Because of
the office’s presence in the county, clients
have the opportunity to be represented by
attorneys with almost 80 years of com-
bined criminal law experience.
Throughout the course of her career,
McCune has emerged as an influential
leader in the community, attending city
council meetings and volunteering and
serving on several committees and boards.
Living by the words of Kanawha County
Chief Public Defender George Castelle,
who once said, “It’s not what you can
accomplish by being present, it’s about
what won’t happen because you are
there,” she has made it a priority to be as
civically involved as possible. As a result,
she has worked to establish an office
presence at Mingo County Commission,
Williamson City Council and Tug Valley
Chamber of Commerce meetings, along
with many others.
“For the most part, government offi-
cials have appreciated our input so that
future problems could be avoided,” she
says. “We have learned that increased civic
involvement leads to better outcomes for
our clients in many cases.”
In addition to her civic engagement,
McCune founded the On Track for Col-
lege program for high school students
after assisting her son, Ryan, with his
college application process. She wanted
to use the knowledge she gained from
this experience to help students in Mingo
and Pike counties attend the best schools
possible. Since the inception of On Track
for College in 2002, McCune has volun-
teered her time in helping more than 130
students seeking scholarships and apply-
ing for college. These students have been
admitted to Ivy League schools such as
Harvard, Yale, Brown and Columbia,
as well as numerous public universities.
“It’s not rocket science,” she says. “Fi-
nancial aid is out there locally, regionally
and nationally. The trick is preparing
for it. If the student has maintained a
current résumé and has a good essay or
two, he or she is ready to apply for most
scholarships.”
McCune also serves as the chair of the
board of directors for Christian Help of
Mingo County. Under her leadership,
Christian Help provides direct aid pro-
grams focusing on clothing, food, utility
payments, transportation and various
other needs. McCune also serves on the
board of governors and the criminal law
committees for the state bar and various
committees at Sacred Heart Catholic
Church of Williamson. She sits on the
education committee of the Williamson
Woman’s Club and the Mingo/Pike branch
of the American Association of University
Women, and she serves as vice president
for the American Association of University
Women’s West Virginia branch.
In an effort to support other women,
McCune and her friends host celebratory
off-to-college showers every summer for
local girls who are preparing to start their
college careers. Playing off of traditional
baby and bridal showers, McCune, along-
side local businesses, showers girls with
items necessary for college, including
school supplies and dorm room apparel.
She has received many awards and
accolades for her diligent work over her
long career, including the King Coal Fes-
tival Humanitarian Award, West Virginia
University Women’s Law Caucus’ Distin-
guished Woman in the Law Award for
Public Interest, West Virginia Governor’s
Service Award, Outstanding Service to
Youth Award, Mentor of the Year Award
and West Virginia State Bar Certificate
of Merit. She was also named a Foun-
dation Fellow of the West Virginia Bar
Foundation, Lawyer Citizen of the Year
by the West Virginia Bar Foundation and
Champion of Justice by the National
Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.
Despite McCune’s many professional
successes, however, she considers her
greatest success to be raising her son,
Ryan, who is also a lawyer. “Ryan is a
loving husband and father, an impres-
sive lawyer and a very kind and generous
person,” she says. “I often say children just
become who they are even in the face of
adversity, but if I had any part in form-
ing my son, it is definably my proudest
achievement.”
Fulbright scholars visiting with McCune’s office in spring 2019.
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