BAR BLAST – June 23, 2015

Annual Membership Reporting & Fees

On June 12, 2015 all Active and Inactive members were mailed an orange postcard via USPS. This postcard contains instructions on how to complete reporting and fees for the 2015-16 fiscal year.

The deadline for Reporting and Fee payment is midnight, September 1, 2015. For more information on how to complete this process go to www.wvbar.org.

State Bar Annual Meeting 2016

The West Virginia State Bar is pleased to announce that the 2016 Annual Meeting will be held at The Greenbrier Resort in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia.  Six hours of continuing legal education will be offered on Monday, April 4, for a total cost of $75.  Discounted room rates will be available for the dates surrounding the meeting. Agenda topics are being finalized.  Presenters will include members of our federal judiciary and two nationally renowned speakers.  A buffet dinner will be held on Sunday, April 3. All are invited to attend the dinner where 2015 Fifty Year Bar Members, Past Presidents of the State Bar and award winners for both the State Bar and Legal Aid of West Virginia will be recognized.  The cost for the dinner will be $130/person.  Keep watching the Bar Blast for updates on the Annual Meeting.

Annual Professional Limited Liability (PLLC) Organization Renewals 

In order to insure that your PLLC is in compliance with the laws of The State of West Virginia, you need to file an annual renewal application with The State Bar. Any change in the corporate organization from the prior year must be reported. COPIES OF CURRENT CERTIFICATES OF INSURANCE ARE REQUIRED. Every PLLC must also register an email address.

If your organization renewed online previously click here to login.  PLLC Annual Renewals are due by July 1, 2015.  If you have questions concerning PLLC reporting requirements contact Anita R. Casey at 304-553-7228 or caseya@wvbar.org. If you have questions concerning the process for online filing contact Mike Mellace at 304-553-7223 ormellacem@wvbar.org.

The Court has amended Trial Court Rule 15A.04, making participation of Actions in the e-filing Pilot Project in Jefferson County mandatory as of August 3, 2015. The approval of the amendment is subject to a thirty-day comment period that concludes July 15, 2015. Click here for the Order

The Court is requesting public comment on amendments to the Rules of Child Abuse and Neglect Proceedings. The Rules have been updated and amended  to reflect code changes and codes repealed by the WV Legislature . The rules have also been amended to reflect changes in legislation following passage of the federal Preventing Sex Trafficking and Strengthening  Families Act, approved on September 29, 2014. The Court has approved a 60 day comment period to end on July 28, 2015.Please send any comments to the WV Supreme Court Clerks Office.

Click here for the Order

The Lawyer Disciplinary Board is soliciting public comments on the following Legal Ethics Opinions:

L.E.O. 2015-01: Use of Stand-In Counsel
Deadline for submissions: September 14, 2015. Please submit your written comments to the following address: Stand-In Counsel Committee, c/o Office of Disciplinary Counsel, 4700 MacCorkle Avenue SE, Suite 1200C, Charleston, WV 25304.

L.E.O. 2015-02: Social Media and Attorneys
Deadline for submissions: September 14, 2015. Please submit your written comments to the following address: Social Media
Committee, c/o Office of Disciplinary Counsel, 4700 MacCorkle Avenue SE, Suite 1200C, Charleston, WV 25304.

L.E.O. 2015: The Amended Rules of Professional Conduct and the Effect on L.E.I. 98-02
Deadline for submissions: September 14 2015. Please submit your written comments to the following address: L.E.O. Committee, c/o Office of Disciplinary Counsel, 4700 MacCorkle Avenue SE, Suite 1200C, Charleston, WV 25304.

July 14, 2015

Making Money Talk – Effective Negotiations in Mediation” – Advanced Mediation Training

Host: The West Virginia State Bar ADR Committee

Location: Bridgeport Conference Center

July 20-21 & 23-24, 2015

WV Court Improvement Program Cross-Training Conferences 

Host: West Virginia Court Improvement Program

Location: Charleston Marriott – July 20-21,

Bridgeport Conference Center – July 23-24.

August 2-7, 2015

Summer CLE Seminar

Host: Waynesburg University’s Stover Center for Constitutional Studies and Moral Leadership

Location: Cambridge, England

August 13-15, 2015

West Virginia Bar Association Annual Meeting

Host: The West Virginia Bar Association

Location: Nemacolin Woodlands Resort, Farmington, PA

WV State Bar Regional Meetings 

October 13-29, 2015: The West Virginia State Bar will hold nine Regional Meetings  this fall. These meetings will provide 3.0 Continuing Legal Education credits in the areas of ethics, office management, substance abuse, and/or elimination of bias. The seminars have only been approved for CLE credit in West Virginia. Lunch will be included at each meeting. Each Regional Meeting will begin at 10:30 a.m. and will last until, approximately, 1:30 p.m. The cost is $100 per person. One of The State Bar’s Officers will attend each meeting.

Dates and Locations:

October 13 – Tamarack – Beckley

October 14 – Clarion Inn – Shepherdstown

October 15 – South Branch Inn – Moorefield

October 20 – University of Charleston – Charleston

October 21 – The Blennerhassett – Parkersburg

October 22 – Guyan Country Club – Huntington

October 27 – Oliverio’s – Bridgeport

October 28 – Waterfront Place Hotel – Morgantown

October 29 – Oglebay Resort – Wheeling

April 3-4, 2016

The WV State Bar Annual Meeting 2016 – SAVE THE DATE!

Host: The West Virginia State Bar

Location: The Greenbrier

Details coming soon!