Phil Reale: Distinguished West Virginian

Phil Reale has been active in West Virginia state politics for many years, beginning when he was elected as an Associate Chairman of a County Democratic Party Executive Committee when he was eighteen years old. Phil Reale went on to attend West Virginia University College of Law, where he earned his law degree in 1977. In 1988 he served as the head of the transition team to newly elected Governor Gaston Caperton, who then selected him to be his first Chief of Staff. "During the decade of the 1...

Phil Reale has been active in West Virginia state politics for many years, beginning when he was elected as an Associate Chairman of a County Democratic Party Executive Committee when he was eighteen years old. Phil Reale went on to attend West Virginia University College of Law, where he earned his law degree in 1977. In 1988 he served as the head of the transition team to newly elected Governor Gaston Caperton, who then selected him to be his first Chief of Staff. "During the decade of the 1990's I was a primary player in West Virginia higher education governance," Phil Reale recalls. "Following my tenure as Governor Gaston Caperton's Chief of Staff, I was appointed to the West Virginia College System Board of Directors and was a two-time chairperson of the organization. The body of work in support of public higher education is remarkable." Phil Reale is a former prosecuting attorney, having served in that capacity in Calhoun County from 1979 to 1981. He is a long-time general practitioner of law with many years of experience in the field of oil and gas law. He is a former president of the Independent Oil and Gas Association of West Virginia, and a successful lobbyist and strategist with more than thirty years of experience. Phil Reale has twice been the recipient of Distinguished West Virginian Awards for Public Service, honors bestowed on him in 1990 and 1995. He has also received Glenville State College's Distinguished Pioneer Award, and the Alumni Service Award from the college's Alumni Association. In addition, he has been named to the Best Lawyers in America list in 2011, and to West Virginia's Best Lawyers list in 2013. "The body of work in politics, government, private business and civic affairs provides fundamental and sound working relationships with key state leaders and agency personnel," Phil Reale says. Those with whom he has built the strongest relationships, he says, include current West Virginia Governor Earl Ray Tomblin, and leaders in both Houses of the West Virginia legislature.