Being “More Than a Lawyer” means you often surprise people when they find you doing something unexpected, and they get a glimpse of your authentic self. Through his years as a lawyer and jurist with a variety of personal and community pursuits, Drew Crislip is used to surprising people in this way, but he knows he was sometimes the one most surprised.
Drew enjoys being challenged, professionally and personally. His “unorthodox” legal path led him throughout the State and Federal systems to serve as both advocate and judge, as well as law clerk, general counsel, educator, and public servant. As he explores retirement, his resume will still be growing to add Mediator and Senior Status Family Court Judge.
Drew’s adventures beyond his career, however, surprised him most and defined his life as more than a lawyer. He has always watched reality adventure programs and is a world traveler. Explaining, “I don’t know my age,” in 2023 he joined “Survivor Challenge,” a live-action game based on the “Survivor” television series. While voted out of his tribe early, the experience nevertheless introduced him into the worlds of reality games and new friends, and he maintains those connections by continuing to audition and attending “Reality Cons.” He says the games are like summer camp, another meaningful activity in his life.
In the summer of 1972, Drew attended the W.Va. Baptist Camp in Cowen as a camper, and it had such a profound spiritual impact on him that he has returned every summer since. He has been both a counselor and a camp director, and he is also a member of the Board of Directors for the camping program. Sharing his deep faith with others, particularly children and youth, is as much a calling for him as is his career.
Drew seizes opportunities to protect and advance the interests of children and youth. He has always been active in youth activities with his church communities, and he has lent his professional expertise to education, such as why organizations must obtain background checks for those working with youth. His concern for children and youth, while a lifetime crusade, has also been shaped by tragedy. In May 2020, Drew and his wife, Annette, lost their youngest son, Ethan, aged 22, to an overdose. Because he firmly believes that every such death is preventable, Drew supports programs designed to combat substance abuse, especially among youth, including those advocating broader naloxone distribution.
Drew’s personal and professional life reveal many challenges faced and opportunities taken, both public and private. When asked, “Who is Drew Crislip?”, he shared this example: several years ago at camp, a litigant from his days as a Family Court Judge in Harrison County recognized him. She asked, “Which is the real you – the Judge or a camper?” In that most unjudicial setting, he had inadvertently surprised the litigant, but he was the one having the revelation: he always wants others to see him as “more than a lawyer.”
Drew was nominated by Jane Harkins.
