Irene M . Keeley
U . S . District Judge , U . S . District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia
Photo by Matt Harvey .
KEN MAGILL
KEENLY INTELLECTUAL . Always prepared . Trailblazer . Willing to listen to both sides . Fair and consistent . A judge ’ s judge . These are the acclamations colleagues use to describe Irene Keeley , U . S . District Judge for the Northern District of West Virginia .
Keeley , who retired in September 2022 after 30 years on the bench , earned her law degree from the West Virginia University ( WVU ) College of Law in 1980 , where half of her class ’ graduates were women . From there she took a job at the law firm Steptoe & Johnson PLLC in Clarksburg , WV , where she was among just four women attorneys and one of the firm ’ s first two female litigators .
She was also the first woman to have a baby at the firm , where previously there had been no maternity leave policy . Keeley requested and was granted three
months leave , and along with Keeley ’ s second daughter , Steptoe & Johnson ’ s three-month maternity leave policy was born .
Between college and law school , Keeley taught middle school in Maryland and high school in Clarksburg , WV , experiences she says profoundly affected her law career .
“ During my years of teaching , I learned various ways to communicate ideas clearly and to confirm that my students had learned the lessons taught ,” she says . “ These teaching skills helped me as a litigator and later as a judge . I believe a good litigator is as much a teacher as an advocate . And a judge must write instructions on the law in plain English to assure that the jury understands how to perform its duties .”
Keeley says her childhood inspired her legal aspirations , honed her intellect and competitive spirit and taught her the value of public service .
“ My father , a career attorney for the U . S . Department of Justice , was one of the original attorneys to serve in the department ’ s Civil Rights Division ,” she says . “ My mother , while raising a large family , was very active in civic and charity organizations in the local Washington area . Ours was a boisterous , competitive family of three boys and two girls . Dinner conversations were animated .”
Keeley says she always dreamed she ’ d become a lawyer . Then , in 1992 , President George H . W . Bush appointed her to the federal judiciary , where she quickly earned a reputation as a highly disciplined jurist with a firm command of the courtroom who often knew more about the cases in front of her than the attorneys litigating them .
She was also the first woman appointed as a judge for the U . S . District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia .
She says her greatest challenges — albeit welcome ones — were having three children , the second of whom was born during law school and the third during her second year of practice .
“ I have been blessed in my life with a wonderful , supportive and understanding husband and three amazing daughters who tried not to complain too much when I had to be away from home for work ,” she says . “ Achieving a successful work-family balance is so important , and our whole family worked hard at setting our priorities and trying to stick to them .”
Keeley has had many mentors , but two stand out as the most influential . The first is her dad .
“ He believed that the practice of law is much more than a job ,” Keeley says . “ It is a privilege and a commitment to serve the public .”
The second is her highly respected Steptoe & Johnson colleague , the late Herbert Underwood .
“ He was my mentor , advisor , law partner and friend throughout my years at the firm ,” she says “ He taught me the necessity of diligent and thorough preparation in order to effectively represent a client ’ s interests . He was a respected
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WEST VIRGINIA EXECUTIVE