Timothy M. McKeen

On industry: “I love working in the oil and gas industry, because there are so many wonderful people in this business. It also means a lot to me to be part of an industry that is helping the local economies of my home area in the Utica and Marcellus shales. Finally, I believe American energy independence is critical to a better future for humanity.”

Career path: He joined Steptoe & Johnson in 2006, where he has become a managing member of the Wheeling, W. Va., office. At 33, he became practice group leader for more than 65 attorneys in the mineral title and property team, which has clients across major U.S. shales.

On leadership: “I would like to think that I show leadership by daily example. I think that being a consistent example of the qualities that we would like our firm’s attorneys to emulate is the best way to be a leader. If other people do not respect your example, I do not think you can be a successful leader.”

Landlords: “When we were in grad school, my best friend and I purchased some apartments and thought we were going to be real estate moguls. Six years later, we sold everything and made the prudent decision to focus on our respective professional careers. While we may have lost a lot of time and some money along the way, we did learn the important life lesson of staying focused on what we did best—our professional careers.”