Counsel, Jackson Kelly PLLC
Photo by TLC Photography.
By Jean Hardiman.
One of the finest things about West Virginians, in the eyes of Berkeley County attorney Susan Snowden, is that they come to each other’s aid without fail.
That is what she tries to do as counsel in the Martinsburg office of Jackson Kelly PLLC and as a resident in her lifelong Eastern Panhandle community. Having focused her career on the insurance defense and corporate areas of law, she’s taken very seriously her role of using her knowledge and experience to serve clients in their times of need, all the while spending her off hours volunteering with her church and 4-H and serving on boards that focus on everything from health care to business development to agriculture.
The field of law was something Snowden decided to pursue during high school, after she participated in a youth-in-government project at the West Virginia State Capitol. She earned a degree at Shepherd University in 1982 before graduating from the Ohio Northern University Claude W. Pettit College of Law in 1985. It was the one time as an adult that she’s lived away from her home state.
“That was an excellent decision for me, as I had law classmates from all over the U.S., exposing me to a variety of ideas and socialization,” she says. “However, I always knew I wanted to come back to the Mountain State and practice law in my hometown.”
Snowden feels fortunate to have begun her career at Martin & Seibert, where she practiced until 2017, when she made the move to Jackson Kelly to offer a further depth of practice to benefit her clients. Her career has given her exposure to complex matters, including employment class actions, catastrophic fire/explosion resulting in multiple deaths and injuries, class action suits over insurance industry practices and policy language and insurance coverage litigation in a time when that area of the law was evolving in West Virginia. The experience has enabled her to advise clients on both substantive and procedural areas of state and federal court practice.
“I am motivated to study the law and continue to have an impact on many areas of the practice,” she says. “Nothing is more exciting than briefing and arguing an issue before a circuit court and then perhaps at the Supreme Court of Appeals or Fourth Circuit, knowing you are arguing a matter of first impression. After 32 years of practice, I still find it exciting when I cite a case in a brief for the court that I was involved in. This is a career where you have the potential to leave an indelible mark upon the body of law for your state. Very few professions have that type of lasting legacy. This is both a joy and a burden that I take very seriously.”
Snowden has been recognized in various peer publications, including The Best Lawyers in America and Super Lawyers for more than 10 years, and listed among Women in the Law. Recently, she was appointed by the Supreme Court of Appeals as a member of the Board of Law Examiners. The award that has touched her the most, however, was being selected by the Girl Scouts of the Nation’s Capital as a Woman of Achievement, knowing that award is reserved for excellent role models for young women.
As for her own children, Snowden and her husband often involved them in volunteer projects in their community. She herself has volunteered on the board of the Mountain State Apple Harvest Festival for more than 30 years, ensuring that the area’s rich agricultural heritage is celebrated. She’s also a West Virginia 4-H All Star, having helped young people develop leadership skills for years. Snowden serves on WVU Medicine University Healthcare’s board of directors and has chaired its foundation board. She has also served on the board of the Martinsburg-Berkeley County Chamber of Commerce, the state chamber and United Way. At Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church, she volunteers as an organist for Sunday services and as council president.
“As a person of faith, I truly believe that to those whom much is given, much is expected in return,” she says. “I have had a blessed life so far, and I feel like I have an obligation to give back and use my talents to help others and continue to make our state a great place to live.”
