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Bar Blast -May 12, 2020

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May 12, 2020
2020 Annual Meeting
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COVID-19 Information 
UPDATE YOUR CONTACT INFORMATION
Please be sure to log into the membership portal and verify or update your contact information by June 1.  The State Bar will be mailing orange postcard reminders of membership reporting and fees in June for the July 1, 2020 – June 30, 2021 fiscal year.  
Judicial Emergency Extended to May 15, 2020
Access to WV County Courthouses
Many West Virginia county courthouses have closed their doors to the public as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.  Each county is dealing with issues and may allow access as needed for such things as performing record reviews, including title searches.  To assist with contacting county officials, the West Virginia Association of Counties has provided contact information for County Officials.  To view the contact information for each County’s Assessor, Circuit Clerk, Commission, County Clerk, Prosecutor, and Sheriff click here.
CLE Announcements
Supreme Court Extends CLE Reporting Period and Bridge the Gap Completion Dates
 
Due to ongoing CLE issues caused by the COVID-19 virus, the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia has granted a request from the Mandatory Continuing Legal Education Commission for a one-year extension for completion of the Bridge the Gap program for certain attorneys and an extension of the CLE reporting period to September 30, 2020.  The reporting period normally would have ended on June 30, 2020. 
Bridge the Gap Extension:
Attorneys admitted between July 1, 2018, and April 30, 2019, are granted a one-year extension to complete the Bridge the Gap program.  Therefore, those attorneys must complete the program within thirty-six months after their admission to the Bar.  The necessity for this extension was due to the cancellation of the April 2020 session of the Bridge the Gap course for new admittees.
CLE Reporting Period Extension:
  • All required CLE credits must be completed and reported by September 30, 2020, to avoid late filing fees.
  • An email reminder notice will be sent on August 31, 2020 to those attorneys who are not yet in CLE compliance.  
  • Credits submitted after October 1, 2020 for the 2018-2020 reporting period will require a $50 late filing fee.  Credit will not be entered until the late fee is paid.
  • Certified notice will be sent out as soon as practicable after October 1, 2020, to those attorneys who are in non-compliance after the September 30 reporting deadline.
  • Attorneys will have 30 days from the date of the certified notice of non-compliance to complete and file courses to attain CLE compliance.
  • A petition to suspend any attorney who does not attain CLE compliance within that 30 day period will be sent to the Supreme Court of Appeals.
  • Attorneys will be suspended until such time as they have established CLE compliance.  
Temporary Waiver of Online Continuing Legal Education Credit Limit
Due to concerns associated with the COVID-19 virus, the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia has granted a request from the Mandatory Continuing Legal Education Commission for a temporary waiver of current CLE rules and regulations which limit the CLE credits for online and in-house credits to 12 credits.   The temporary waiver is limited to the 2018-2020 reporting period. Please see the attached link for the full Order of the Court
Recorded Videos of State Bar Seminars 
Available for Viewing for Online Credit
Twenty  and one-half hours of online CLE credits are currently available to attorneys through viewing recorded videos of previous State Bar seminars.  The subject matters are criminal law (2 credit), succession planning (3 credits, including 3 credits in Law Office Management), probate law(3 credits), marijuana law (3 credits, including 1/2 ethics credit),  landlord tenant law(3 credits), intellectual property law (3 credits), keeping healthy during the pandemic (1/2 credit in attorney well-being), and maintaining ethics in crisis (1 credit in ethics).  Links are provided below to view the videos and to report the credits upon completion. 
Criminal Law – Click here for seminar link
Succession Planning  – Click here for seminar link 
Probate Law – Click here for seminar link
Marijuana Law – Click here for seminar link
Landlord Tenant Law – Click here for seminar link
Intellectual Property Law – Click here for seminar link
NEW RECORDINGS:
Keeping Yourself and Your Practice Health During the Pandemic
Maintaining Ethics in a time of Crisis; WV Office of Disciplinary Counsel Click here for seminar link
Coronavirus Relief Legislation – Breakdown of the available loans and employment and tax law changes. Click here for seminar link
Let us Help YOU Submit Your CLE Credits
Tips and Step-by-Step Directions on 
How to Submit Your CLE Credits
Per the Order of the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia, your CLE Reporting Period has been extended to September 30, 2020.  Attached are directions for submitting your credits.  Print the attached document and use it as your CLE Reporting Guide.  If you do not submit your own CLE credits, please share this document with the individual who reports your CLE Credits.  
Upcoming Events
May 13, 2020 1:00 – 4:00 pm
Free Ethics Webinar
The 2020 ETHY AWARDS
Sit back, relax and forget about COVID-19 for a few hours. Join nationally recognized humorist, Sean Carter, as he guides you through the amusing side of the otherwise serious topic of ethics.
CLE:  3 Ethics CLE credits
Host:  State Bar
Speaker:  Sean Carter – Harvard Law School graduate with 10 years of legal practice focused on corporate securities and mergers and acquisitions. He left the practice of law to pursue a career as the country’s foremost Humorist at Law. 
This webinar will also be recorded and available for viewing at a later date.
June 4 – 5, 2020
62nd Annual WVAJ Convention & Seminar ONLINE!
Sponsor:    West Virginia Association for Justice
Location:    Online
CLE:    14.4 CLE credits, including 3.9 in ethics and law office management   
Open to all West Virginia attorneys.  The best high-quality, low-cost CLEs available–and you can attend from the comfort of your home or office.  Special discount available thru May 17!
June 18, 2020 
Family Law CLE
Note:  Rescheduled from April 3, 2020
Host:  Kanawha County Family Law Bench Bar Committee
Location:   Charleston Coliseum and Convention Center
CLE:    8.9 credits – including 1.1 credits in law office management.  
A block of hotel rooms is reserved at the Charleston Marriott Town Center for June 17 and June 18, 2020 at the low rate of $96 plus tax and fees per night. If you would like to make a reservation you can call Marriott Reservations at 1 (800) 228-9290.  When calling, please identify yourself as part of the “June 18 CLE group.”
Save the Date:  JULY 13, 2020 
1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
FREE LAW OFFICE MANAGEMENT WEBINAR
CLE:  3 credits in law office management
Speakers:  Stephen Embry, Esq.
 Brett Burney, Esq.
 Michael Mellace, MS
More information coming soon
*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. 

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