During a recess at the trial of coal baron Don Blankenship, assistant prosecutor Steve Ruby stepped into the area where the onlookers are seated. Almost immediately, he is approached by a thirty-something professional male with unruly blond hair who was basically trying to give him a high-five and a big hug.

Every day, just after 5 p.m. eastern time, Don Blankenship exits the federal courthouse for the Southern District of West Virginia flanked by four lawyers. And when he does, a parade of cameras is there to catch to his every move. The former chief executive of Massey Energy is now on trial — one of a handful of top chieftains from publicly-held companies to have ever faced a jury.

Court has just broken for 20 minutes and I’m in the men’s room standing next to one of Don Blankenship’s lawyers. In an awkward sort of way, we introduce ourselves but wait until we are at the sink to shake hands. Both of us are smiling and joking – an odd sense of levity at a time when a man’s life is on the line, or as much as 30 years.