Travis O’Neal is in his third year at West Virginia University College of Law and is a recipient of the Cabot Scholarship and an EMLF scholarship.  

As the son of a lifelong West Virginia coal miner, Travis experienced firsthand how deeply resource development impacts local economies, communities, and property rights. Ranked seventh in his class, he serves as a Senior Editor for the West Virginia Law Review and recently completed a full-time federal judicial externship with Judge Tom Kleeh in the Northern District of West Virginia. He plans to dedicate the entirety of his 3L year to courses specifically tailored to energy and water law. To gain practical experience in the sector, Travis spent his previous summer as a summer associate at JacksonKelly PLLC handling energy, environmental, and black lung cases, and he is returning to the firm for a second summer to further prepare for his career in the coal, oil, and gas sectors.  

“Energy law will continue to shape the future of West Virginia, and I am committed to contributing to that future by practicing in the field,” O’Neal said in his personal statement in his scholarship application. “My father’s career as a coal miner sparked my interest in the field of energy law, but what furthered my passion even more was the impact that I observed the oil and gas industry has on the lives of my friends and family.”