John L. McClaugherty, Esq., managing member of the Charleston, West Virginia law firm of Jackson & Kelly, P.L.L.C., has received the American Inns of Court Professionalism Award for the Fourth judicial Circuit as the 11 person who best exemplifies the ideals of the American Inns of Court."

The award was presented to Mr. McClaugherty on June 25th at the Fourth Circuit judicial Conference in Hot Springs, Virginia by the president of the American Inns of Court Foundation, the Hon. Patrick Higginbotham of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. The American Inns of Court honor recognizes a senior law practitioner whose life and practice display the highest character and integrity, coupled with an ongoing dedication to the highest standards of the legal profession and the rule of the law.

Each year, the award is bestowed upon one legal professional in each of the nation's 12 judicial circuits, individuals 11 whose careers at the bar and on the bench have exemplified the values of civility, devotion to duty and courage."

The American Inns of Court, composed of over 20,000 members in 49 states and the District of Columbia, examine issues related to ethics and professional conduct in the field of law. Each chapter, known as an Inn, has members ranging from law students to lawyers and judges with varying degrees of legal experience.

Among those nominating Mr. McClaugherty for the Professionalism Award was the Hon. Frederick P. Stamp, Jr., Chief Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia. Judge Stamp described Mr. McClaugherty as "an indefatigable supporter of the rule of law, the legal profession and the legislative process. Everything and anything that he does, he does exceedingly well. In my opinion, West Virginia and the Fourth Circuit have no finer leader in these important areas."

In his work with Jackson & Kelly, Mr. McClaugherty has con-centrated on coal law, administrative law, occupational disease law and injury litigation. He is also well known as a commissioner of the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws, which works to draft uniform acts which are then proposed to state legislatures around the country for enactment, since 1977.

Mr. McClaugherty is a member of the Kanawha County Bar Association, which he served as President from 1980-198 1; the West Virginia Bar Association, which he served as President from 1995-1996; and the American Bar Association. He was also President of the West Virginia Bar Foundation from 1994-1998 and is a member of the Americanjudicature Society and a life member of the American Bar Foundation. In 1995, he received the Kanawha County Bar Association Outstanding Achievement Award, and in 1998, he received the Lawyer-Citizen of the Year Award from the West Virginia Bar Foundation. In 1983, he was named Coal Lawyer of the Year by the National Coal Lawyers Conference. From 1983-1984, he served as President of the Eastern Mineral Law Foundation.

Also active within the community at large, Mr. McClaugherty has served as President of the Board of Directors of the West Virginia Symphony Orchestra since 1982. He is Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of the American Symphony Orchestra League and is one of the driving forces behind the establishment of the new Center for the Arts and Sciences of West Virginia. He is the 1998 recipient of the YMCA Spirit of the Valley Award and the 1998 winner of the Arts Patron of the Year Award from the College of Creative Arts of West Virginia University. In 1990, he received the Mayor's Award for Arts Volunteers.