Current association: Senior Vice President, General Counsel & Secretary – Greylock Energy, Charleston, WV

Past associations: Alpha Natural Resources, Patriot Coal, Spilman Thomas & Battle, PLLC

Law School: Washington & Lee

Undergraduate: West Virgina University (also a M.A. from the University of Georgia)

Spouse: Lesley

Children: Luke and Lydia

Current hometown: Charleston

Favorite bar or restaurant in current home city? 1010 Bridge Why?: 1010 Bridge is the brainchild of Chef Paul Smith, Charleston’s first James Beard nominated chef. It’s a cozy little spot in a small shopping district near where we live. The food and service are always excellent, and you always run into someone you know.

Favorite thing to do on the weekends: I’m still in that stage of life where my weekends are consumed with various kid’s activities. If you ask me again in 5 years and maybe the answer will be golf, tennis or hiking, but right now it’s just surviving those two days. When Lesley and I aren’t too tired, we enjoy grabbing dinner and drinks with friends.

EMLF Involvement: Currently – Secretary; previously Trustee and multiple-time presenter at Annual Institutes.

Do you have a favorite anecdote or war story regarding your time as a lawyer? When I was an Assistant GC at Patriot Coal, Richard Verheij and I were working on a settlement of one of several Clean Water Act lawsuits that had been filed related to selenium discharges. Patriot was either still in Chapter 11 or had just emerged and the late Ben Hatfield was CEO. Richard and I were called into Ben’s office to discuss the settlement and Ben asked me my opinion about the settlement. I started a long explanation of the issues (I’m pretty sure my history started with the Big Bang). About one minute in, Ben stopped me and said: “Drew, today is a day for short answers.” I took a beat and gave a very short synopsis of why I thought we had done the best we could and should agree to settle. Ben’s firm, but kind, guidance to provide a short answer stuck with me and helped me realize that as in-house counsel, I need to think and act like a business partner.

Where did you grow up? Mostly Charleston and the surrounding area, with a 2-year pitstop in the Atlanta suburbs.

What is your area of practice? Currently – whatever comes through the door with a heavy emphasis on corporate topics, with a smattering of property, environmental, and labor & employment law thrown in.

How did you get involved in that area of law? I started out as an environmental lawyer. I was interested in that because my father was a civil engineer who designed water and wastewater projects. When we’d drive somewhere on vacation, he’d pull over on the side of the road or detour to see a new sewage treatment plant. It wasn’t fun growing up, but I guess it stuck with me. When I started at Spilman, there was a need in the Environmental Group, and I was fortunate to learn from and be mentored by Ann Bradley and Allyn Turner.

You have spoken at a couple of EMLF events and have been involved in EMLF committees. Has that involvement benefitted you? If so, how? Involvement in EMLF has been very beneficial to my career, but those benefits have changed as I’ve gotten older. As a new associate it was an honor to be able to give a case law update and interact with the lawyers who were making that case law. Once I started being on committees and the Board, I’ve been able to observe how certain lawyers come at problems or deal with conflicts. In some cases, I’ve mimicked what I observed. In others, I decided I wanted that lawyer representing my companies.

Looking back, what two or three things have been most helpful to you in developing as a lawyer and as an attorney at your company? First, I worked for GCs who wanted the default answer to questions posed by the business folks to be “yes.” Obviously, the answer is sometimes “we can’t do that, but we can do this…” but by being seen as a partner and not an obstacle, it has allowed me (and the in-house teams I’ve been a part of) to be more involved at earlier stages of projects, which ultimately is good for us and, I think, good for the company. Second, respect those who have done it longer than you – regardless of their title or pedigree. Paralegals, admins, and others have lots of experience and good ideas if you will take time to listen. If you find a good paralegal or admin, take good care of them, and don’t let them leave. Third, success is almost always a team accomplishment, so share the glory with those around you and it will lead to more success for the company and the team in the future.

Is there any advice you would give to new lawyers and law students who are about to become lawyers? As David Stetson, my CEO at Alpha, would often say: “If you’re not growing, you’re dying.” That can apply to companies, but also to our careers and ourselves. Graduating from law school and passing the bar are accomplishments that should be celebrated, but keep challenging yourself to learn more, do more and achieve more. You will make yourself more valuable to your employer, but you’ll also never be bored.