Stephen New & Associates - Attorneys at Law

09/01/2026

Friday nights meant something in Van, West Virginia. — https://t.ly/9ny8H

Coach Gibson takes Steve back to Friday night football in a Southern West Virginia coal town, packed stands, passionate fans and a community that showed up for its team.

Explore the full conversation on YouTube, Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

08/31/2026

The insurance adjuster who calls after your wreck may be perfectly nice, but that doesn’t mean they are on your side.

While you’re trying to get your car fixed, get to the doctor and figure out how you’re going to pay the bills, the insurance company is already doing its job.

And here’s what’s important to remember, their job is to protect the insurance company’s interests not yours.

That doesn’t make them the bad guy. It just means you need to know who’s looking out for whom.

If you’ve been hurt in a car wreck and you’re getting calls or questions you’re not sure how to handle, call us at 304-JUSTICE. We’ll help you figure out what to do next.

08/28/2026

𝗠𝗲𝗲𝘁 𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝗧𝗲𝗮𝗺: 𝗘𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗲𝗲 𝗕. 𝗪𝗼𝗼𝗹𝗱𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗴𝗲

First things first: Emilee is one of us.

Raised in Maple Fork, her roots are firmly planted in Southern West Virginia. She grew up here, went off to earn a very impressive education, and then chose to come home and put it to work for the people of West Virginia.

And when we say impressive, we mean it.

Emilee graduated summa cm laude from West Virginia University with a degree in philosophy before earning her law degree from the WVU College of Law. While in law school, she served as President of the Women’s Leadership Council and logged more than 600 hours of pro bono legal service through WVU’s General Litigation and Advocacy Clinic.

Yes, 600 hours before she was even officially a lawyer.

After graduating in 2022, Emilee joined Stephen New & Associates. Today, she works alongside Steve on complex civil litigation and is involved in cases from the beginning through discovery, depositions, motions, negotiations, and trial.

But here’s the thing about Emilee: her résumé is impressive, but you’d never know it from talking to her. She’s humble, down-to-earth, and far more interested in doing the work than getting credit for it.

She knows our clients aren’t just case numbers. They are our neighbors, friends, and fellow West Virginians. They are real people who may be walking through one of the hardest seasons of their lives.

And then there’s Steve. Ask him about Emilee, and it becomes clear pretty quickly just how much he respects her as a lawyer.

“𝙀𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙚𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙡𝙖𝙬𝙮𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙬𝙝𝙤𝙢 𝙄 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙝𝙖𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙧𝙞𝙫𝙞𝙡𝙚𝙜𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙥𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙚 𝙡𝙖𝙬. 𝙃𝙚𝙧 𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙙 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙠 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙙𝙖𝙮 𝙗𝙚𝙣𝙚𝙛𝙞𝙩𝙨 𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙘𝙡𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙡𝙚𝙜𝙖𝙡 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙛𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙖𝙩 𝙡𝙖𝙧𝙜𝙚. 𝙀𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙚𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙖 𝙩𝙖𝙡𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙣𝙚𝙮 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙖𝙣 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙗𝙚𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙤𝙣. 𝙄 𝙡𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙥𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙀𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙚𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙮 𝙮𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙨 𝙖𝙨 𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙢 𝙗𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨 𝙛𝙞𝙚𝙧𝙘𝙚 𝙖𝙙𝙫𝙤𝙘𝙖𝙘𝙮 𝙤𝙣 𝙗𝙚𝙝𝙖𝙡𝙛 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙚𝙤𝙥𝙡𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙒𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙑𝙞𝙧𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙖.”
— Steve New

She’s a wife. A mom. A Southern West Virginian. A Mountaineer. And one heck of a lawyer.

She’s Emilee B. Wooldridge and we’re so proud she’s one of us.

08/26/2026

The NCAA Eligibility Fight Is Growing!

What began earlier this summer with Marshall University student-athletes challenging the NCAA's new eligibility rules continues to grow.

Additional student-athletes from Marshall University and Ohio University are now part of the legal challenge involving the NCAA's new "5-for-5" eligibility rule and how it applies to athletes from the high school Class of 2022.

For those who haven't been following the issue, here's the heart of it: the NCAA adopted a new eligibility framework this summer allowing five seasons of competition, but how that rule applies to members of the Class of 2022 has become the subject of litigation.

Steve recently spoke with The West Virginia Record about the growing number of legal challenges:

"To try to do it in this haphazard manner and try to apply it retroactively to the Class of 2022 and those kids who played four years straight through, well, that's why you've got litigation all over the country."
— Steve New

For these athletes the issue is straightforward: whether they'll have the same opportunity to compete for a fifth season under the NCAA's new eligibility rules.

Our attorneys Steve New and Emilee B. Wooldridge are working alongside Charleston attorney Dusty Gwinn to represent them as the case moves forward.

The litigation is ongoing, and we'll continue to share important developments as the case progresses.

Read more about the latest developments here: https://www.legalnewsline.com/west-virginia-record/marshall-ohio-athletes-file-federal-ncaa-eligibility-suit/article_5aaf7aaa-e94a-4f63-bb97-bd62eb62a7bc.html

There’s certainly a lot changing in college athletics. What do you think the college sports landscape will look like five years from now? Let us know below.

HUNTINGTON — A dozen Marshall University athletes and two Ohio University athletes have filed a federal lawsuit seeking immediate permission to compete during the 2026-27 season, expanding a previous challenge

08/25/2026

As promised, Mountain Justice from Steve New Country is officially here. — https://t.ly/nYL2C

If you haven't caught the first episode yet, here's a sneak peek at Steve's conversation with Marshall University Head Football Coach Tony Gibson.

And they start right where you'd expect two Southern West Virginia coal miners' sons to start, talking about home.

Where does West Virginia toughness come from?

Steve and Coach Gibson talk about growing up as sons of coal miners in Southern West Virginia and the work ethic, grit and sense of community that stayed with them long after they left home.

Explore the full conversation on YouTube, Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

08/21/2026

We are so incredibly proud of our very own Steve New!

By now, many of you have probably heard the news, and we've loved seeing the congratulations and kind words pouring in for Steve from across West Virginia and beyond.

After more than three years of litigation and a nine-day federal trial in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Steve and the legal team representing Kai Spears saw their years of work culminate in a $9.25 million verdict in Kai's favor against The New York Times Company.

Kai was just 18 years old and a freshman basketball player at the University of Alabama when The New York Times incorrectly reported that he was at the scene of a fatal shooting.

He wasn't.

Steve has represented Kai in this fight from the beginning, and yesterday, a federal jury found in Kai's favor on his claims of defamation and false light/invasion of privacy. After the verdict, Kai made a point to recognize the attorneys who had fought beside him throughout the case Stephen New, Matt Glover and Ginger Buck.

That may tell you more about this win than the number ever could.

The New York Times itself reports that it had not lost a defamation lawsuit brought in the United States over one of its articles in more than 50 years.

Yesterday, it did.

We know Steve as the founder and leader of this firm. We see the long hours, the preparation, the determination and how seriously he takes the responsibility of representing someone who has trusted him with their fight. Today, we're proud to see that commitment result in such an extraordinary outcome for Kai and his family.

Congratulations to Kai and the Spears family, Matt Glover, Ginger Buck, Steve and everyone who worked to see this fight through.

Steve, your team is incredibly proud of you. West Virginia is proud of you!

Read more about the verdict and hear from Kai below.

A jury on Thursday sided with former UA basketball player Kai Spears in his high-profile defamation lawsuit against the New York Times.

08/20/2026

No. 17 Marshall Men’s Soccer opens the 2026 regular season tonight at Hoops Family Field against Fairfield.

New season. Same Marshall pride.

Good luck to Coach Grassie and the Herd tonight. We’ll be cheering you on from Steve New Country!

We Are… MARSHALL!

08/19/2026

Help Us Welcome Jessica Lacy!

We’ve got a pretty impressive future lawyer spending some time with us at Stephen New & Associates!

Jessica may be new to our firm, but she certainly isn’t new to the legal world. Before starting law school, she spent six years working as a paralegal right here in West Virginia while earning her Bachelor of Social Work from West Virginia State University.

And she didn’t just earn the degree.

Jessica made the President’s List and, during her senior year, was selected for the prestigious Judith A. Herndon Fellowship, one of only 10 college students from across West Virginia chosen for the program.

That opportunity took her inside the West Virginia Legislature for the 2024 legislative session, where she gained a firsthand look at the legislative process and how the laws made in Charleston affect people and communities across our state.

Today, Jessica is a 3L at Penn State Dickinson Law, pursuing her Juris Doctor while gaining hands-on experience as an extern with our team at Stephen New & Associates.

And she isn’t waiting until graduation to start advocating for others.

Jessica is a Certified Legal Intern in Pennsylvania, which permits her to practice law under the supervision of a licensed attorney. Through the Dickinson Law Children’s Advocacy Clinic, she represents and advocates for children involved in Pennsylvania dependency proceedings and has served children as a guardian ad litem, attorney and court-appointed educational decision-maker.

For all of those accomplishments, though, what may tell you the most about Jessica is why she chose this path.

A lifelong resident of Putnam County, Jessica was drawn to social work because she wanted to help people in her community. That same desire ultimately led her to law and a passion for helping solve the real problems faced by people throughout our state.

In her words:

“West Virginia is my home, and I want to fight to make my home a better place for all its citizens.”

That desire to stand beside people who have been harmed or wronged and help them fight back is also what drew Jessica to Stephen New & Associates.

When she heard Steve say, “The people of West Virginia are my people, and I will fight for them like nobody else will,” it immediately resonated with her. She knew she had found the kind of lawyer she wanted to learn from and the kind of work she wanted to be part of.

And we’re pretty fortunate she chose us, too.

“Jessica is an impressive 3L law student at Penn State. Our clients are fortunate she chose our firm at which to perform her externship. With her impressive résumé, law school experience and real-world experience, Jessica is a great asset to our firm. She will gain real work experience as a student which will help her in her legal career.” — Steve New.

We are so happy to have Jessica with us.

Welcome to the team, Jessica!

08/17/2026

We have a winner!

Thank you to everyone who joined in on our Back-to-School Giveaway. We loved seeing what grades all of your kiddos are heading into this year!

Congratulations to Stephanie Grizzel-Moody, winner of the $100 Walmart gift card!

Stephanie, send us a message so we can get your gift card to you.

And to all of the students, parents and teachers getting back into the swing of things we hope you have a great school year!

08/13/2026

It’s back-to-school time!

And because we know there’s always one more thing to grab before that first day, Stephen New & Associates is giving away a $100 Walmart gift card!

Tell us in the comments, what grade is your kiddo is heading into this year?

Plus we want to make sure everyone gets a chance to enter, so like our page, like this post and share it with your friends and family to help us spread the word.

We’ll draw a winner on Monday!

Wishing all of our students, teachers, parents and school staff across West Virginia a great start to the new school year.