Stephen R. Crislip is Of Counsel, focusing primarily on litigation and professional liability. He practices out the Firm's office in Charleston, West Virginia.
Steve has spent his entire legal career at Jackson Kelly, and has been instrumental in the Firm's growth and development. He started at the Firm as an associate in 1973, and served as a member from 1980 to 2013. He also served as the Firm's General Counsel – you know it's a vote of confidence when you're chosen to be a lawyer for lawyers. His practice focuses primarily on litigation with an emphasis on the defense of cases involving professional responsibility, ethics, and legal malpractice.
Steve is a West Virginia University graduate, where he received both his bachelor’s degree in political science and history (Phi Beta Kappa) and his law degree from the WVU College of Law (Order of the Coif). He is passionate about the practice of law and involvement in his community, which he says is what makes his career most rewarding. He served 10 years on the Board of Directors of the Charleston Family YMCA, as chairman and trustee of The Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation from 1996 to 2003, as chairman of the Visiting Committee at the West Virginia University College of Law, and has served on the Board of the Alzheimer's Association, West Virginia Chapter. Steve also has been a lecturer for West Virginia CLE and various other bar-related groups, and is the author of several publications and other writings, including a legal humor book titled Down To The Hard Road.
Steve has been a forward thinker and entrepreneur since the seventh grade, when he started a commercial strawberry growing business. In high school, he developed the “Twist-O-Ciser,” a rotating exercising device that was sold on WOAY Channel 4 news “Big Time Wrestling.” Aside from his legal and professional endeavors, Steve enjoys bird hunting and shotgun sports, fly fishing, woodworking, and is a master gardener.