BAR BLAST – January 20, 2015

Pursuant to WVC §11-10A-6, the Governor shall appoint the Chief Administrative Law Judge from a list of three qualified nominees submitted to the Governor by the Board of Governors of the West Virginia State Bar for a four-year term.  Therefore, the Office of the Governor is seeking nominations for the position of Chief Administrative Law Judge of the West Virginia Office of Tax Appeals.  The West Virginia State Bar Board of Governors will select three nominees for consideration by Governor Tomblin.  Applicants must be admitted to the practice of law in West Virginia and have five years of full-time or equivalent part-time experience as an attorney with federal or state tax law experience or have served as a judge of a court of record.

Applications, with supporting resumes and letters of reference,must be received by Anita R. Casey (caseya@wvbar.org)

To review a copy of the applicable statute, CLICK HERE

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 admitted during 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 National Energy and Sustainability Moot Court Competition, March 12-14 at WVU Law, is looking for volunteer judges. For the early rounds, a judge must be an attorney of good standing licensed to practice law in any state. Final round (afternoon of March 14) judges must be a federal or state appellate judge. Now in its fifth year, the competition attracts exceptional law students from across the country. Interested parties should contact Samantha Stefanov atwvumoot@mail.wvu.edu for more details. For more information on the National Energy and Sustainability Moot Court Competition, visit http://energycomp.wvu.edu/.

The ABA is currently offering a free ABA and Section membership. With benefits like free CLE, free career advice webinars, and practice specialty groups, membership in the ABA can help your colleagues become better attorneys.

This special offer allows new members to explore these benefits through August 31, 2015.

Click here for a free trial of ABA and Section Membership.

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 beforeFebruary 9, 2015. Click here for the Order

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.