Alex Shay, Shelby Hicks-Merinar Join Firm

​BRIDGEPORT, W.Va. – Attorneys S. Alex Shay and Shelby A. Hicks-Merinar have joined Steptoe & Johnson PLLC.   Shay practices energy litigation in the firm’s Bridgeport office and Hicks-Merinar practices labor and employment law from the Morgantown, W.Va. office.

Shay joins Steptoe & Johnson after serving as a trial attorney for the U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Trustee Program, where he filed pleadings, argued motions, and conducted evidentiary hearings on behalf of the United States Trustee.  He also litigated issues including creditor filings and bankruptcy petition preparer violations.

He previously worked at Steptoe & Johnson as a summer associate where he assisted on a variety of projects related to mineral title, labor and employment, commercial transactions, and others. Shay is a U.S. Air Force veteran who served as a crew chief and maintenance operations controller supporting Operation Enduring Freedom and the Afghanistan surge.

Shay earned his law degree and bachelor’s degree from West Virginia University. As a student, he earned the Honorable Judge Broadwater military merit scholarship and led the Veterans Law Caucus.

Shelby Hicks-Merinar recently practiced with a Wheeling, W.Va. law firm where she presented oral arguments at hearings, conducted witness depositions, and assisted clients with professional malpractice matters.  She also served as legal extern for the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and participated in the U.S. Supreme Court Litigation Clinic at the West Virginia University College of Law where she wrote memoranda on appellate issues, and helped prepare cases for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.

Hicks-Merinar earned her law degree from WVU. As a student, she served as senior notes editor for the West Virginia Law Review. She earned her bachelor’s degree from WVU as well.

About Steptoe & Johnson

Steptoe & Johnson PLLC is a law firm nationally recognized for its strengths in energy law with more than a century of know-how in the areas of business, employment, and litigation.  Steptoe & Johnson has more than 300 attorneys practicing in 13 offices in Colorado, Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, and West Virginia.  Visit http://www.steptoe-johnson.com and connect with us on Twitter and LinkedIn.