A 35-year-old real estate lawyer and partner at Dinsmore & Shohl, Poca native Matt Kingery was named lawyer of the year in May by the West Virginia Bar Association. Citations and family photos decorate his office in the Huntington Bank building on Lee Street.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- The quintessential boy wonder was born with a drive to succeed, and worked his way swiftly to the top.
In May, the West Virginia Bar Association named 35-year-old Matt Kingery young lawyer of the year.
He was president of his law school class at WVU, of course.
A real estate lawyer with Dinsmore & Shohl, he made partner in January.
He sits on two prestigious boards -- the University of Charleston Graduate School of Business and the CAMC Foundation.
He's confident, forthright and sincere, talks the corporate talk and looks like he belongs on the cover of a glossy executive magazine.
Is this guy for real?
His story sounds like a fairy tale, the perfect life. Behind the golden scenes, a deeply personal family issue overshadows the meteoric success.
"My mom characterized me as a painfully shy child and very sensitive. She said I was diligent and organized, but quiet.
"I went to Poca Elementary, then transferred to Teays Valley Christian School. Mom was a teacher at Teays Valley Christian. Dad worked at Union Carbide. He was also a DJ on weekends at a Christian station, WJYP. I remember how excited I would be to use the giant magnet to erase the 8-tracks.
"After my freshman year, I asked to go to Poca High School because I wanted access to more sports activities and scholarships. Mom followed me over there. She's head of the English department.
"I loved art and thought about an architecture degree. I wasn't adept at math, so I abandoned that dream. Then I thought I wanted to be a psychiatrist. I went to the osteopathic school with a friend who showed us her cadaver. I felt the physical reaction that probably isn't best suited for someone in the medical field, so I decided psychiatry wasn't for me.
"My sophomore year in high school, I attended the Hugh O'Brien Youth Foundation leadership seminar. This painfully shy child wrote a good essay and was chosen to represent Poca High in 1991. That was a huge turning point for me, transformative in a lot of ways, because I was introduced to a collective of role models. They kind of adopted me. I still help with their programs.
"Thinking I would get my MBA, I got a psychology degree in business and industry, with a minor in business, at Marshall. I decided on law school my second year.
"I was seeing my friends leave for supposedly greener pastures, but I felt committed to staying here. I thought about what I could do in West Virginia that would guarantee employment. There are a lot of attorneys in Charleston. My mom had a dream of someday going to law school, so I took that up for myself.
"When I was sworn into the bar, I had a big cast on my arm and was walking with a cane. I was supposed to get married Aug. 12, 2000. I had an accident, a fall, after the bar exam on Aug. 5. I had a head trauma and broke my orbital bone, broke my wrist in two places and shattered my pelvic bone. I was in a wheelchair for six weeks and then on a walker. The only thing I could think of was how I had to get back to work. That's how I've always been, extremely driven from day one.
"They were telling my parents I wouldn't be able to even brush my teeth after this accident. I ended up being fine. I had to take a neurological exam. The only thing they found was a temporary visual memory deficit. So, if I ever wanted to say I couldn't find my car in the parking garage, I have a good excuse.
"I was dating a girl at Marshall, so when I graduated, I took a litigation position in Huntington. Two years later, Seaton Taylor, a municipal judge, came to the firm. I asked him if I could do anything to assist him. Seaton went to the Cleveland Clinic for a minor procedure, got an infection and died.
"I was given a choice to maintain and grow what Seaton had with the assistance of Seldon McNeer, an of-counsel attorney there who had worked in real estate for 50 years. I took on that challenge, because I wanted to test myself in the corporate field. I was 27.
"Apparently, I showed enough potential to lead me here. I was called by Dinsmore & Shohl. I'd always wanted to be in Charleston. This firm has been around for 100 years, and is well established in real estate. It has a huge footprint -- 450 attorneys. I was the first real estate attorney for the firm in West Virginia.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- The quintessential boy wonder was born with a drive to succeed, and worked his way swiftly to the top.
In May, the West Virginia Bar Association named 35-year-old Matt Kingery young lawyer of the year.
He was president of his law school class at WVU, of course.
A real estate lawyer with Dinsmore & Shohl, he made partner in January.
He sits on two prestigious boards -- the University of Charleston Graduate School of Business and the CAMC Foundation.
He's confident, forthright and sincere, talks the corporate talk and looks like he belongs on the cover of a glossy executive magazine.
Is this guy for real?
His story sounds like a fairy tale, the perfect life. Behind the golden scenes, a deeply personal family issue overshadows the meteoric success.
"My mom characterized me as a painfully shy child and very sensitive. She said I was diligent and organized, but quiet.
"I went to Poca Elementary, then transferred to Teays Valley Christian School. Mom was a teacher at Teays Valley Christian. Dad worked at Union Carbide. He was also a DJ on weekends at a Christian station, WJYP. I remember how excited I would be to use the giant magnet to erase the 8-tracks.
"After my freshman year, I asked to go to Poca High School because I wanted access to more sports activities and scholarships. Mom followed me over there. She's head of the English department.
"I loved art and thought about an architecture degree. I wasn't adept at math, so I abandoned that dream. Then I thought I wanted to be a psychiatrist. I went to the osteopathic school with a friend who showed us her cadaver. I felt the physical reaction that probably isn't best suited for someone in the medical field, so I decided psychiatry wasn't for me.
"My sophomore year in high school, I attended the Hugh O'Brien Youth Foundation leadership seminar. This painfully shy child wrote a good essay and was chosen to represent Poca High in 1991. That was a huge turning point for me, transformative in a lot of ways, because I was introduced to a collective of role models. They kind of adopted me. I still help with their programs.
"Thinking I would get my MBA, I got a psychology degree in business and industry, with a minor in business, at Marshall. I decided on law school my second year.
"I was seeing my friends leave for supposedly greener pastures, but I felt committed to staying here. I thought about what I could do in West Virginia that would guarantee employment. There are a lot of attorneys in Charleston. My mom had a dream of someday going to law school, so I took that up for myself.
"When I was sworn into the bar, I had a big cast on my arm and was walking with a cane. I was supposed to get married Aug. 12, 2000. I had an accident, a fall, after the bar exam on Aug. 5. I had a head trauma and broke my orbital bone, broke my wrist in two places and shattered my pelvic bone. I was in a wheelchair for six weeks and then on a walker. The only thing I could think of was how I had to get back to work. That's how I've always been, extremely driven from day one.
"They were telling my parents I wouldn't be able to even brush my teeth after this accident. I ended up being fine. I had to take a neurological exam. The only thing they found was a temporary visual memory deficit. So, if I ever wanted to say I couldn't find my car in the parking garage, I have a good excuse.
"I was dating a girl at Marshall, so when I graduated, I took a litigation position in Huntington. Two years later, Seaton Taylor, a municipal judge, came to the firm. I asked him if I could do anything to assist him. Seaton went to the Cleveland Clinic for a minor procedure, got an infection and died.
"I was given a choice to maintain and grow what Seaton had with the assistance of Seldon McNeer, an of-counsel attorney there who had worked in real estate for 50 years. I took on that challenge, because I wanted to test myself in the corporate field. I was 27.
"Apparently, I showed enough potential to lead me here. I was called by Dinsmore & Shohl. I'd always wanted to be in Charleston. This firm has been around for 100 years, and is well established in real estate. It has a huge footprint -- 450 attorneys. I was the first real estate attorney for the firm in West Virginia.
"If I went somewhere else, I would be absorbed into a department, but here, it's mine. I love the fact that I have that at this age.
"I became a partner in January. I've been here four years. One of things I wanted to do when I got here was raise my profile. It's hard to grow a business if no one knows who you are.
"I got here in July 2006. A friend, Erica Mani, was co-chair of this young professionals group. I wanted to get involved. Erica called Matt Ballard at the Charleston Area Alliance. Matt called me and said I was co-chair of their housing committee. I had never even been to a meeting.
"They had done a poll that found that housing was the No. 1 issue for young professionals in this area. They wanted to develop more housing at a reasonable cost for young professionals. So we did things like the loft walk to bring attention to the issue. In October 2007, they named Danielle Waltz and me co-chairs of the organization.
"I wanted structure, a more corporate format. We changed the name to Generation Charleston, and that group has really taken off. The membership is over 1,000 now. I'm still on the advisory committee.
"Generation Charleston is built around three pillars -- social networking, professional development and community activism. When you get here as a new young professional, you have been attracted by that job, but what's going to keep you here? It's the opportunity to connect with other individuals in this area, and Generation Charleston a perfect platform for that.
"Through reaching out to Charlie Ryan at the University of Charleston's Graduate School of Business, I was given the opportunity to join the graduate school's advisory committee.
"What Generation Charleston is doing is attracting and entertaining young professionals, and that's what the graduate school is trying to do -- attract the best and brightest to this area and hopefully retain them. I want to see these connections created. Charlie and I talked a lot about this synergy, bringing organizations together.
"I'm also on the CAMC Foundation board, so I'm working with two cornerstone organizations in Charleston. You can't attract business or employers or employees to this area unless there is health care.
"I have a personal connection with the CAMC Foundation. My son, Carter, was born March 18. He has hemophilia. Carter is missing a factor in his blood that helps it clot.
"It affects about one in every 5,000 boys. Always boys. Women carry it; men show the symptoms. It's genetic, but there was no family history that this might be a concern.
"It's very manageable. The condition has nothing to do with his lifespan or physical or mental abilities. It just means he bleeds longer if he bleeds. We take him to CAMC, and they give him a shot, and it stops.
"Suddenly, insurance is an issue in my life. By the time Carter is a teenager, it's going to cost about $2,500 a treatment to keep his factor levels up. I'm a partner now, and benefits don't come with the job. You pay full premium for everything. My wife is a counselor in the school system, and she is going back to work in the fall. We will save thousands each year.
"Our physicians tell us they believe there will be a cure for hemophilia before he gets maybe even to high school. They may be able to convert the factor treatment into an oral medication. He could just pop a pill every time he needs a factor.
"I had this personal life plan up to 25. Get through law school and be a partner by the age I am now. At this point, I'm taking a breath and seeing where I can have the most impact ultimately. People talk about politics. I'm not interested.
"You can have the greatest impact on the local level. It's just about work. You don't have to be the smartest guy in the world to have the greatest impact if you work, if you show commitment and dedication to the cause.
"And you pick causes you are passionate about, which is why CAMC Foundation was so easy for me. My son relies on the services they provide."
"To have had the opportunities I've had, I am hugely blessed. Because of those blessings, I have an obligation to give back, any way I can."
Reach Sandy Wells at san...@wvgazette.com or 304-348-5173.
