2019 AWARDS
Allyson R. Chandler
Class of 2019, WVU College of Law
Photo by Steptoe & Johnson PLLC.
BY BLAIR DOWLER. Growing
up in Hamlin, WV, folks sur-
rounding Allyson Chandler
always told her she should be
a lawyer. So, naturally, she did
not want to be a lawyer.
“During undergrad I thought
I might want to get a Ph.D.
and teach, but I wasn’t in love
with that career path,” she re-
calls. “I decided to take some
pre-law classes and realized
everyone had been right all
along. I enjoyed learning the
material and could envision an
exciting and fulfilling career.
I think it was the path for me
all along—I just needed to
realize it myself.”
A 2016 graduate of West
Liberty University with a bach-
elor’s degree in English litera-
ture and a minor in teaching
English as a second language,
she went on to earn her juris
doctor from West Virginia
University (WVU) College of
Law, where she found her niche.
She was involved in the Lugar
Trial Association, competing
for two years on the Steptoe &
Johnson national trial team in
the American Bar Association’s
annual Labor and Employment
Law Student Trial Advocacy
Competition. As chief justice
of the Moot Court Board, she
also competed in the Wagner
National Labor and Employ-
ment Law Moot Court Com-
petition and on the national
team at the Annual National
Moot Court Competition.
Competition was definitely
a theme of Chandler’s time in
law school—as was winning.
She competed in the Baker
Cup, WVU College of Law’s
in-house appellate advocacy
competition, and came out
on top.
“I think being involved while
in law school is very import-
ant,” says Chandler. “Compet-
ing in both trial and appellate
Stephen C. Scott
Class of 2019, WVU College of Law
Photo by WVU College of Law.
BY BLAIR DOWLER. As a first-
generation college student
raised by a single mother,
Stephen Scott knew he would
face challenges during his time
at West Virginia University
(WVU). Instead of being dis-
couraged, he used those chal-
lenges as a source of motivation
for making his dream of becom-
ing an attorney a reality.
“Graduating undergrad
and professional school as a
first-generation student means
I am now privileged based on
my ascent through higher ed-
ucation and overcoming those
hurdles, and now it means
paying it forward to other
first-generation college stu-
dents and helping them over-
come their hurdles along the
way however I can,” he says.
A native of Shepherdstown,
WV, Scott earned bachelor’s
degrees in political science and
multidisciplinary studies in 2016
from WVU. He was struggling
with choosing between staying
at WVU for law school or en-
rolling at an out-of-state school
when he was notified by WVU
College of Law that he had been
awarded the W.E.B. Du Bois
Fellowship, a full-ride compet-
itive fellowship.
“From that call, my deci-
sion to stay at WVU became
so clear,” he recalls. “I felt
WVU Law recognized my fi-
nancial constraints in reaching
my goals and wanted to see me
accomplish those goals at my
alma mater.”
Scott excelled in law school,
graduating in the top 10 of his
class with 13 honors, including
the 3L Legacy Award, Patrick
Duffy Koontz Scholarship
Award, Order of Barristers
and Order of the Coif. He was
also named the Law School
Student of the Year for West
Virginia by the National Jurist.
He graduated with more
WWW.WVEXECUTIVE.COM
advocacy competitions allowed
me to learn about areas of law
outside of the classes I took and
also gave me the confidence
to know I can be a successful
practitioner.”
Competing paid off. Chan-
dler graduated this spring with
Order of the Coif and Order of
Barristers honors and is serving
a one-year term as a law clerk
on the U.S. Court of Appeals
for the Fourth Circuit in Rich-
mond, VA. Afterward, she will
return to the Mountain State
to continue her career as a
litigation associate at Steptoe
& Johnson PLLC.
“I’ve lived here my whole
life, and I plan to stay here
throughout my career,” she
says. “My family is here, and I
can’t imagine being anywhere
else. West Virginia will always
be home.”
than awards, however. At
WVU he discovered new in-
terests due to his involvement
in various activities, including
the U.S. Supreme Court Clinic,
Black Law Students Associa-
tion, National Moot Court and
Public Interest Advocates. He
also served as executive notes
editor for the West Virginia
Law Review and president of
the Student Bar Association
in his third year after holding
other leadership positions his
first two years.
As Scott begins his career,
he recognizes that the Moun-
tain State has provided him
with the ideal foundation from
which to accomplish his goals.
“For the past 25 years, West
Virginia has allowed me to
pursue my dreams,” he says.
“I can only hope that one day
I have the opportunity to serve
the state in a larger capacity.”
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