Sharon Flanery

Sharon Flanery is a member of Steptoe & Johnson PLLC in its Charleston, West Virginia office, where she chairs the Energy and Natural Resources Department and is a member of the Executive Committee. She concentrates her practice in energy and mineral law and has represented major oil and gas, coal, pipeline and hydroelectric companies. As a petroleum engineer with both an operating and legal background in the energy industry, Flanery brings real-world experience to her law practice.

Recognized by "The Best Lawyers in America" in the fields of energy, energy regulatory, mining, natural resources and oil and gas law, Flanery is also recognized by “Chambers USA ” as a leading lawyer in the natural resources field.  She is a recipient of the Energy & Mineral Law Foundation’s John L. McClaugherty Award for Dedication and Service and is a Past President of the Foundation. 

Flanery is a member of the Advisory Committees for both the Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources and the College’s Department of Petroleum Engineering.  She is a past Statler College Outstanding Alumni of the Year and was selected as a guest lecturer by Dean Gene Cilento for the College’s Distinguished Lecture Series. 

Prior to joining Steptoe & Johnson, Flanery served as Vice President of Exploration for Columbia Natural Resources Inc., where she was responsible for the Geoscience, Reservoir Engineering, Marketing and Land Departments.  Before obtaining her law degree, she worked as a reservoir engineer in Appalachia and at Aramco in Saudi Arabia.

Flanery earned her Bachelor of Science in Petroleum Engineering from WVU in 1978 and Juris Doctor degree from Duquesne University, where she was a member of the Law Review.  She is a member of the West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Ohio bars and holds a US Patent and Trademark License.