Law clerk takes over job as assistant district attorney
Michelle Kelley quit her job, but she hasn’t gone far. Kelly left her job as a law clerk for Fayette County Judge Ralph C. Warman on the third floor of the county courthouse to become an assistant district attorney on the first floor.
“I knew at some point in time I wanted to work in the district attorney’s office, so when the opportunity arose, it was the next logical step for me,” said Kelly.
The Uniontown attorney worked as Warman’s law clerk for four years, and, through her job sat in on countless court proceedings of all kinds. She also learned a lot from Warman, who swore her in as an assistant prosecutor last week.
“I learned more in the four years working with Judge Warman than I did in law school,” said Kelley, noting that hands-on experience with the court system provided her with valuable learning experience.
Her hiring as a prosecutor does not mark Kelley’s first time in the district attorney’s office. As a second-year law student, she interned there during the summer of 1997. Towards the end of internship, her future boss, now-District Attorney Nancy D. Vernon, was entering the office as an assistant under then chief prosecutor Peter U. Hook.
Two years later, Vernon mounted a successful campaign to become chief prosecutor. She recently won the Democratic primary to retain the post and will likely sail to victory in the November election since she faces no competition on the ballot.
A 1998 graduate of West Virginia University College of Law, Kelley said she always knew that she wanted to work in criminal law. When she heard of a position opening up with Warman in 1999 she decided to apply and left her prior position with the legal department of Nemacolin Woodlands Resort and Spa and 84 Lumber.
She said she was pleased with the change and set her sites on becoming a prosecutor when the time was right. On Tuesday, Kelley made her first court appearance before Judge Steve P. Leskinen handling ARD admissions. Even though she’d been in court many times before, the change of being behind counsel table instead of acting as an observer left Kelley a little nervous.
“My heart was racing,” she said.
But even though she stepped into a new post, Kelley said she’ll still find time to visit her old boss. On Wednesdays, she’ll handle indirect criminal contempt proceedings that stem from Protection from Abuse violations before Warman.
She’ll also get to visit with the man who she said taught her proper courtroom etiquette – Warman’s tipstaff Humphrey “Luke” Lukachik, known around the courthouse as a stickler for procedure. Kelley said she told Lukachik that now that she’s behind counsel table she’s ready for the same notoriously terse attitude her friend takes with everyone else.
“We’ll see what happens,” she said, smiling. “I’m just excited to be doing this job.”
Kelley is married to Michael Henney and has three sons, Nathan, 6, and 2-year-old twins, Maxwell and Alexander. She is the daughter of Charlene Kelley of Farmington.