C. Scott Applegate

Deputy Staff Judge Advocate, West Virginia Army National Guard

By Maggie Hatfield

Scott Applegate, deputy staff judge advocate for the West Virginia Army National Guard (WVARNG), always knew he would pursue a career in the military.

“My grandfathers served in the military, and I looked up to them,” he says. “I also had an interest in the law. Luckily, I was able to combine those two major interests into one fantastic career.”

A native of White Sulphur Springs, WV, Applegate enlisted in the U.S. Army after high school and served with the 2-47th Infantry Battalion at Fort Benning, GA. In 2001, he was awarded a Green to Gold Scholarship to complete his college education, and he graduated from West Virginia University (WVU) in 2003 with a degree in business administration and the WVU College of Law in 2006.

“I was surprised at how much the military prepared me for law school,” he says. “It taught me how to adapt and overcome and that success requires evolving and learning mixed with a drive for relentless improvement. You can apply that notion to all aspects of life.”

Applegate’s first job was with Pullin, Fowler, Flanagan, Brown & Poe, PLLC in Beckley. Over the course of his legal career, he has served as minority counsel for the West Virginia House of Delegates, a military police officer and a judge advocate in the WVARNG.

Today, as the deputy staff judge advocate, Applegate provides legal advice and assistance to senior executives, officers and members on all Guard operations, including employment, administrative and contractual law issues. He has reviewed and provided insight on almost all West Virginia laws and bills that have affected service members over the last six years.

“My work has ranged from topics such as the West Virginia Service Members Civil Relief Act to a major rewrite of the West Virginia Uniform State Code of Military Justice,” he says.

Applegate’s commitment to service extends beyond his office. He is an active member of the West Virginia State Bar Veterans and Military Affairs Committee, where he helped organize an annual Veteran’s Day of Service. He hosts webinars and instructs courses that teach attorneys how to better serve the legal needs of veterans, service members and their families who are facing legal issues and on topics such as the Uniformed Services Former Spouses’ Protection Act, military retirement and domestic violence. He also volunteers with the bar’s Tuesday Legal Connect, which helps provide general legal information to individuals who may not be able to afford an attorney. As a result of his work, Applegate received the 2017 West Virginia State Bar Citizen Soldier Award and a Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal in 2020.

For Applegate, military and community service is about more than giving his time and talents. It is about changing the outlook for the future of the Mountain State.

“My 20 years of military service has been a wonderful journey of people and places,” he says. “I have seen extraordinary people doing extraordinary things, including here in West Virginia. I am passionate about this state, and I am committed to helping shape its future.”

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