BAR BLAST – January 13, 2015

Important changes to the West Virginia pro hac vice admission procedures became effective on January 1, 2015.  These changes include a new $350 annual fee to be paid by out-of-state lawyers admitted pro hac vice on or before January 1, 2015.  Click here to review the September 29, 2014, Order

An implementation Order entered December 12, 2014, requires local counsel, for out-of-state lawyers admittedduring the past five years, to contact those counsel to determine whether the annual fee applies. The fee must be paid by the out-of-state lawyer on or before March 31, 2015.

Click here to review the December 12, 2014, Order.
 

THE STATE BAR IS NO LONGER ABLE TO ACCEPT PAPER PRO HAC VICE SUBMISSIONS BECAUSE OF REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS FOR OUT-OF-STATE LAWYERS. ALL OUT-OF-STATE LAWYERS MUST REGISTER ONLINE AND FILE PAPERWORK ELECTRONICALLY.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION AND INSTRUCTIONS.

The West Virginia State Bar is excited to announce a new opportunity for attorneys to provide pro bono assistance to the public anytime, from anywhere.  West Virginia Online Legal Help(www.wvonlinelegalhelp.org) is a new website where low-income West Virginians can post questions about their civil legal needs.  The questions are answered by volunteer attorneys, who provide basic information and legal advice for free.

We need West Virginia attorneys to sign up to volunteer.  The benefits of volunteering include:

• No expectation of long-term representation.
• Professional liability insurance provided.
• Attorney’s name is anonymous to user.

Please go to www.wvonlinelegalhelp.org and click on “Lawyers Sign Up” to register to volunteer.  We hope to open the website to questions from the public in September 2014.

Click here for more information.

As members of the legal profession, you know better than most what lawyers need to be successful.  The West Virginia State Bar and Educating Tomorrows Lawyers at the University of Denver are collaborating on a research study to identify the foundations entry-level lawyers need that will have far-reaching implications for the preparation of future lawyers.  The future of the profession is integrally tied to our law schools, and your perspective is critical to these issues.  All bar members are invited to take a short survey to contribute to the endeavor.  The anonymous survey will take approximately 20 minutes, and can be answered in multiple sessions from the same device.  This is an exciting opportunity to impact the future of legal education. Thank you for participating! Click here to link to the survey.

for Administrative Appeals 

The Court is Proposing an amendment to Rule 2(h) of the Rules of  Procedure for Administrative Appeals. Public comments must be in writing and filed with the Clerk on or before February 9, 2015. Click here for the Order

Asset Allocation, Antiques in Estates and Internet Fraud

Host: North Central West Virginia Estate Planning Council

Location: Lakeview Resort, Morgantown

WVCLE Litigation 2015

Host: West Virginia Continuing Legal Education (WVCLE)

Location: Cannan Valley Resort – Davis, WV

WVCLE Shale Play Update

Host: West Virginia Continuing Legal Education (WVCLE)

Location: Charleston Civic Center

State Bar Annual Meeting

Host: The West Virginia State Bar

Location: Glade Springs Resort – Beckley, WV

Registration information will be available soon.