President - Cynthia L. Lowther, ACP
Cynthia L. Lowther, ACP attended the University of Charleston and has been a litigation paralegal for more than 19 years. She has been employed by Steptoe & Johnson PLLC in its Charleston office since May 2004, where she assists attorneys in the firm's environmental, regulatory, energy, and litigation departments, focusing primarily on mass litigation and toxic tort matters. Prior to joining the environmental/regulatory group in 2008, she focused primarily on medical malpractice and long-term care defense. Ms. Lowther received her Certified Legal Assistant (CLA) in January 2006 and her Advanced Paralegal Certification in Discovery (ACP) in March 2007. Ms. Lowther has been an active member of Legal Assistants/Paralegals of Southern West Virginia (LAPSWV) since 2004. She has served as LAPSWV's Secretary (2005-2006), Second Vice President (07/2006-09/2006), First Vice President (09/2006-2008), and currently is serving her second year as President. Ms. Lowther is an active member of the National Association of Legal Assistants, Inc. (NALA), is beginning her third year of a three-year term on the Professional Development Committee, where she serves, in addition to her other responsibilities, as a mentor to members of the Leadership Enhancement and Preparation (LEAP) program. She is also a CASA volunteer for Kanawha County CASA, Inc., a member of the Legal Assistants' Committee of The West Virginia State Bar, a paralegal member of The Defense Trial Counsel of West Virginia, and an Advisory Board member for the Junior College of West Virginia in Charleston.
First Vice President - Loretta Stevens, CP
Loretta J. Stevens, CP has been employed by the law firm of Kay Casto & Chaney PLLC since 1984. Currently, she is the firm’s only certified paralegal and its Law Librarian. Ms. Stevens previously worked as legal secretary for two of the firm’s senior commercial attorneys. In an effort to stay abreast of the field, Ms. Stevens attends Marshall University and is studying Legal Assisting. In 2005, Ms. Stevens received her national certification through the National Association of Legal Assistants. Ms. Stevens has been an active member of Legal Assistants/Paralegals of Southern West Virginia (LAPSWV) since 2004. She has served as LAPSWV’s Secretary (2006-2008), as LAPSWV's Second Vice President (2008 - January 2010) and currently holds the office of First Vice President. Ms. Stevens is also a member of the West Virginia State Bar’s Legal Assistant/Paralegal Committee, which consists of paralegals and attorneys throughout the State of West Virginia.
Second Vice President - Karen Nichols, ACP
Karen Nichols, ACP is employed by Jackson Kelly PLLC as an advanced certified paralegal in the Business Law Department. Karen has been in the legal profession for 25 years and has been a paralegal for 13 years. She graduated in December 2003 from Marshall University with an Associate in Applied Science, Legal Assistant degree, with high honors. Karen obtained her CLA certification from NALA in January 2006, and APC in Business Organizations: Incorporated Entities in October 2008. She is currently serving on the Jackson Kelly Legal Assistant Liaison Committee, is an active member of the National Association of Legal Assistants, Inc. (NALA), and a member of the Defense Trial Counsel of West Virginia. Karen served as LAPSWV Treasurer from 2007-2009, LAPSWV's NALA Liaison (2009 - January 2010) and is currently serving as Second Vice President.
Secretary - Patricia Schoolcraft, CLA
Patricia Schoolcraft, CLA, is employed by Preston & Salango, PLLC, as a civil litigation paralegal. She has been in the legal profession for over 23 years and has been a paralegal for 17 of the 23 years. She worked as a regulatory paralegal with the West Virginia Insurance Commissioner Office and as a litigation paralegal for Flaherty, Sensabaugh & Bonasso before going to work for Preston & Salango. She graduated in May 1992, with high honors, from Marshall University with an Associate in Applied Science, Legal Assistant degree. She obtained her CLA certification from the National Association of Legal Assistants, Inc. (NALA) in September 1998. In August 2002, she earned her Bachelor's degree from the West Virginia University Institute of Technology. She has been an active member of the National Association of Legal Assistants, Inc. (NALA) since 1998, a founding member of Legal Assistants/Paralegals of Southern West Virginia serving as the Treasurer for the first two years and on various committee, and was a former member and officer of the Association of Legal Assistants of West Virginia from 1988 to 2004.
Treasurer - Renee Clay, CP
Renee Clay, CP has been employed by Steptoe & Johnson PLLC in its Charleston office since October 2003 and has over 19 years of experience in the legal profession. She currently performs various tasks associated with energy and environmental litigation with the main focus in matters involving the coal industry. Ms. Clay is a Magna Cum Laude graduate of Marshall University where she earned her Bachelors of Science Degree in Business Education in 1991 and earned her Masters of Science Degree in Interdisciplinary Studies/Adult and Technical Education in 1997. In 2004, she became an active member of the Legal Assistants/Paralegals of Southern West Virginia (LAPSWV), has served on its various committees, and currently holds the office of Treasurer within that organization. Ms. Clay became a member of the National Association of Legal Assistants (NALA) and received her CP certification in September of 2007. She also became a paralegal member of the Defense Trial Counsel of West Virginia in 2007.
NALA Liaison - Tammy L. Welch, CP
Tammy L. Welch, CP has been a paralegal for 17 years and has been employed by Jackson Kelly, PLLC since July 1999. She assists attorneys in the firm’s litigation department, focusing primarily on Medical Liability defense, and has participated in more than 20 trials throughout West Virginia. Ms. Welch received her Certified Legal Assistant (CLA) in January 2000. Ms. Welch has been an active member of Legal Assistants/Paralegals of Southern West Virginia (LAPSWV) since 2004. She has served as LAPSWV’s NALA Liaison (2005-2006), and as LAPSWV's Parliamentarian/Historian (2008-January 2010) and currently serves as the NALA Liaison. Ms. Welch is also a member of Defense Trial Counsel of WV and is a member of the Paralegal Liaison committee of Defense Trial Counsel of WV.
Parliamentarian/Historian - Nodgie Kennedy, CLA
Nodgie P. Kennedy, CLA was appointed as LAPSWV Parliamentarian/Historian in January 2010. Nodgie is currently employed by The Tinney Law Firm, PLLC, in Charleston, WV. She has worked in the legal profession for 26 years, having worked as a legal secretary in Washington, D.C. and New Jersey for 15 years. Nodgie returned to West Virginia in 1995, graduated in 1998 with an A.S. degree with honors in Paralegal Studies from Mountain State University (f/k/a The College of WV); and, has worked as a paralegal in Charleston, WV since 1998. Nodgie obtained her CLA certification from NALA in January 2006.
