BAR BLAST_2012-07-23

News

VETERANS LEGAL SUPPORT EFFORT

The Veterans and Military Affairs Committee has been working with Army One Source to establish a coordinated effort to provide legal services to West Virginians who are currently serving, or who have previously served, their county in any branch of the military.   An organizational meeting will be held at The State Bar Center on July 26 at 10:00 a.m.  If you are interested in participating in that meeting, you may attend, without prior confirmation of your attendance, or participate by calling in at 877-299-3826, Code 304-558-1044.  Questions should be directed to Gene Bailey at gwbailey@bowlesrice.com.

If you have already signed up to submit your FRD, IOLTA and Payment online here and have not received any response please click here for a document that will show you where to go and submit your information. If you have not received an email with a first time link fromsupport@wvbar.org then you will need to contact Mike Mellace atMellacem@wvbar.org.

 

Your membership dues for fiscal year 2012-2013, and your Financial Responsibility Disclosure and IOLTA reporting requirements, can now be completed on line. All dues payments and submissions (Paper and online form) must be completed no later than September 1, 2012. 

The West Virginia State Bar’s Unlawful Practice of Law Committee has issued an Advisory Opinion addressing the duties and responsibilities of counsel retained or appointed to represent a criminal defendant.  For a full text of Advisory Opinion 2012-001 click here.

MCLE REMINDER

The 2010-2012 reporting period ended on June 30, 2012. The filing deadline is July 31, 2012. If necessary, you may take courses in the month of July 2012 and carry the credits back to meet the 2010-2012 requirement without any penalty. Courses carried back may NOT be split between two different reporting periods. You may carry over six excess general credits earned to the 2012-2014 reporting period. You may check your credits online and file approved activities completed using the State Bar’s website if you have an e-mail on file with the State Bar office. To access your records, go to www.wvbar.org, click on MCLE, then click Member Login.  If you have not used the new online submission program, you will need to go to the Password Reset Feature, enter your e-mail as on file with the State Bar, and click reset password.  You will then receive an e-mail with a link to create your password.  The password must be created within one hour.  You may then review your credits and submit credits online.  You may access the reporting period, the requirements, and forms by double-clicking MCLE on the website.  If you have questions, contact compliance@wvbar.org atcompliance@wvbar.org.

The Lawyer Disciplinary Board has received a request for an opinion concerning the “indemnify and hold harmless” language contained in settlement agreements. The Committee has drafted an L.E.O. to address this issue, and is soliciting public comments thereon. Click here for a copy of the L.E.O. Please submit your written comments to the Settlement Agreement Committee, c/o Office of Disciplinary Counsel, 4700 MacCorkle Avenue SE, Suite 1200C, Charleston, WV 25304. Deadline for submissions: October 12, 2012.

COMMENTS REQUESTED ON DOMESTIC VIOLENCE CIVIL PROCEEDINGS RULES  

The Court is requesting comments on the Proposed Amendments to the Rules of Practice and Procedure for Domestic Violence Civil Proceedings, Rules 4 and 11. The contact person is the Deputy Clerk, Edythe Nash Gaiser, her contact information is as follows:  phone no. 304-558-2601 and email address:  Edythe.Nash@courtswv.gov

Upcoming Events

SAVE THE DATE

Court-Approved GAL Training-Trainings for guardians ad litem (GALs) in family court and child abuse/neglect cases will take place onNovember 14, 2012, at the Charleston Marriott and November 16, 2012, at the Waterfront Place Hotel in Morgantown.  Sponsored by the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia, the trainings will meet the new guidelines for family court GALs under the Rules of Practice and Procedure for Family Court, as well as the new training requirement for child abuse/neglect GALs/children’s attorneys under W.Va. Code §49-6-2(a).  Registration information will be available this summer.