The Legal Outreach Committee of the West Virginia State Bar is seeking new members. This committee oversees three programs: Tuesday Legal Connect, The Lawyer Referral Service, and WV Online Legal Help and is open to all State Bar members. All members are encouraged to participate via video conference or in person at the Committee’s next meeting on April 22, 2019 at noon at the State Bar Center. If you are interested please email the Committee Chair, Mark Adkins, at madkins@bowlesrice.com
LAWS – Legal Advancement for
West Virginia Students
The Supreme Court invites attorneys to contact their local high schools and middle schools and offer to help students learn about the appellate court system and prepare for LAWS, which is available statewide for the first time this year. LAWS – Legal Advancement for West Virginia Students – is a civic education program in which the Supreme Court holds an argument docket at a county courthouse about once a year and invites students from that area to attend. The LAWS docket this year will be April 9 at the Morgan County Courthouse in Berkeley Springs. As always, the arguments will be webcast live. This year for the first time, the webcast will be recorded and kept on the West Virginia Judiciary YouTube Channel so that students anywhere can watch during their normal class times. The cases and documents filed in the cases also are available on the West Virginia Judiciary website.
Questions should be directed to Jennifer Bundy at 304-340-2305 or jennifer.bundy@courtswv.gov
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit –
2019 High School Essay Contest
Deadline April 15, 2019
The United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit is sponsoring a Civics Essay Contest for students in Grades 9 through 12. Top essays will be awarded $2,000 (1st place), $1,500 (2nd place), and $1,000 (3rd place). This year’s essay question is, “How has the right to freedom of speech established for public school students in the Supreme Court case of Tinker v. Des Moines evolved in the 50 years since it was decided?” For more information go to the web site at http://www.ca4.uscourts.gov/essay-contest-2019.
An attorney wanting to appear in Immigration Court, will need to be licensed in any State and have an Executive Office for Immigration Review (“EOIR”) number. The attorney will needed to fill out the ERegistry form online at:
https://www.justice.gov/eoir/ECAS and then go to the any Immigration Court to have his/her ID checked. The EOIR number is good for life. James Roder of the Department of Justice has offered to complete the process for any attorney who fills out the ERegistry form online. For more information contact James Roder at james.roder@usdoj.gov.
Upcoming Events
April 2-10, 2019
2019 Court Improvement Program Cross-Training Conference
Sponsor: The West Virginia Court Improvement Program (CIP)
Speakers: Judge Adrienne Nelson, Terry Harrell, Chief Justice Elizabeth Walker, Bruce Hennes, Brian Moore & Katherine Capito and Judge Joanna Tabit.
About: The West Virginia State Bar’s Annual Meeting is the ideal venue to reconnect with lawyers and friends – and to build new relationships – all while enjoying Charleston, West Virginia. Take advantage of excellent Embassy Suites accommodation rates offered only to our members.*
West Virginia State Bar Young Lawyers Section Bridge the Gap Program
About: Each new lawyer admitted to practice after July 1, 2018 will have twenty-four months after their date of admission to complete the program.
Location: Charleston Coliseum & Convention Center – Charleston, WV
Only Members Admitted after July 1, 2018 OR Attorneys admitted prior to July 1, 2018, who have not previously completed the Bridge the Gap requirements, may attend the live course and satisfy the mandatory Bridge the Gap requirements.
April 12-14, 2019 – Last chance to register for the WVJLAP retreat. To get the all inclusive room rate, with all meals and registration included, make your reservation before March 10, 2019.
1st Annual WVJLAP Conference and Retreat
Location: Stonewall Resort – Roanoke, WV
To all WVJLAP Participants, Volunteers, Board Members, and Members of the bench and bar who support or are interested supporting the mission of JLAP: You are invited to join us at Stonewall Resort in Roanoke, West Virginia for a weekend CLE conference, volunteer training, open board meeting and networking opportunity.
*You are receiving this email because you have elected to receive the Bar-Blast from the WV State Bar. To change you email address or manage your email subscriptions, you must log into the Membership Portal at mywvbar.org. This mailing list is updated weekly.