Bar Blast – November 17, 2020

 

PLLC APPLICATION PROCEDURE

After over a decade of collaborative work with the West Virginia Secretary of State (“SOS”), the West Virginia State Bar (“Bar”) is pleased to announce that a new automated procedure for filing a new and/or renewing an application for a Professional Limited Liability Company (PLLC) has been set up through the SOS’s One Stop Business Portal. Starting now, new PLLCs’ first step is to obtain a Verification of Eligibility (“VOE”) from the Bar. For information on how to obtain a VOE from the Bar and information on the SOS’s One Stop Business Portal, click here.

 

The Bar and SOS will continue to collaborate on developing procedures for making an application through the One-Stop Business Portal for Limited Liability (LLC), Limited Liability Partnerships (LLP), and Legal Corporations (LC) applications.  An announcement regarding the aforementioned types of businesses is expected within the next few months.

 

TUESDAY LEGAL CONNECT

The State Bar is in need of volunteer attorneys on Tuesday evenings, during December 2020, to field legal questions from the public as part of the “Tuesday Legal Connect” program. Volunteers from anywhere in the state can now work remotely from their home, office, etc. All the volunteer needs is a telephone and computer/tablet etc. If you would be interested in helping in December, please email David Frercks as soon as possible.

 

Position Open for Commissioner of

WV Legislative Claims Commission

The West Virginia State Bar is seeking candidates for the position of Commissioner of the Legislative Claims Commission. The State Bar Board of Governors will nominate three (3) lawyers and will submit these names to the Speaker of the House and the President of the Senate for appointment to the Claims Commission. The term is for six (6) years. A minimum of ten (10) years’ experience as a licensed attorney is required. A full description of qualifications can be found in W.Va. Code Section 14-2-4 and 14-2-10, and compensation is provided for in W. Va. Code Section 14-2-8. This position involves hearing and deciding claims filed against state agencies and the Crime Victims Compensation Fund. The main offices of the Claims Commission are at the State Capitol with travel to other parts of the state for hearings. Some administrative law, mediation, or other judicial experience would be beneficial. 

 

If you qualify for appointment, and would like to be considered for nomination, please send your letter of interest and resume, with all supporting information and letters of reference – in one packet – to Anita R. Casey, Executive Director, The West Virginia State Bar, 2000 Deitrick Blvd., Charleston, WV 25311 or caseya@wvbar.org. Nominations must be received, via email or regular mail with a Receipt/Postmark date/time of no later than 11:59 p.m., December 30, 2020.

Extension of the Bridge the Gap Requirement

Attorneys admitted to the WV State Bar between May 1, 2019, and December 31, 2020 have been granted a one-year extension of time to complete mandatory the Bridge-the-Gap Program.

This extension is in addition to the one-year extension previously granted by the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia to those admitted between July 1, 2018, and April 30, 2019. A determination was made that additional attorneys were adversely affected by the cancellation of the Bridge-the-Gap program scheduled in April 2020 due to COVID.