WV STATE BAR OPERATIONS: The State Bar continues to operate during normal business hours of 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Mondays through Fridays. Seminars and meetings continue to take place using the State Bar’s phone conference and/or video conference capabilities. The offices are closed, however, to in-person meetings. The offices will remain closed until, at least, September 1, 2020, at which time circumstances will be re-evaluated. All Bar members are strongly encouraged to use the State Bar’s phone and video conference capabilities for meetings, depositions, hearings, seminars, etc. Arrangements should be made by contacting Kathy Henning at henningk@wvbar.org or 304-553-7225. Any concerns with the limited availability of the physical facility for use should be directed to Anita Casey at caseya@wvbar.org.
For confidential assistance and consultation regarding emotional or mental health issues call our Judicial and Lawyer Assistance Program staff at (304) 553-7232 or visit wvjlap.org for additional information and resources.
- 5-6-20 Re: Resumption of Operations
- 4-24-20 Re: Temporary Order Regarding Civil Litigation and Rules of Civil Procedure in Circuit Court
- 4-22-20 Judicial Emergency Declared – Second Amended Order
- 4-3-20 Judicial Emergency Declared – Amended Order
- 3-22-20 Judicial Emergency Declared
- 3-16-20 Administrative Order
- 3-12-20 COVID-19 Planning Document
- Supreme Court Issues Order Suspending Court Proceedings Throughout West Virginia Due To Coronavirus (March 16)
- Supreme Court Arguments Postponed (March 13)
- CIP Postpones Training Sessions (March 13)
- Supreme Court Issues Protocol on Coronavirus (March 12)
- Legislature Approves Fiscally Responsible Budget for State’s Court System (March 11)
For more news from the Supreme Court of Appeals of WV CLICK HERE
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Supreme Court Extends CLE Reporting Period and Bridge the Gap Completion Dates
Due to ongoing CLE issues caused by the COVID-19 virus, the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia has granted a request from the Mandatory Continuing Legal Education Commission for a one-year extension for completion of the Bridge the Gap program for certain attorneys and an extension of the CLE reporting period to September 30, 2020. The reporting period normally would have ended on June 30, 2020. Click here to view the full Court Order
Bridge the Gap Extension:
CLE Reporting Period Extension:
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New Pro-Bono CLE Rule
Per Rule 6.05 (f) of the new State Bar Administrative Rules: A lawyer may obtain one credit hour for every three completed hours of pro bono legal service which satisfies Rule 6.1 of the West Virginia Rules of Professional Conduct and is performed during the reporting period. A maximum of six hours of mandatory continuing legal education credit for approved pro bono service hours may be obtained for any two-year reporting period, and no additional service or credit hours may be carried over to the next reporting period.
While the majority of Rule 6 is not effective until the July 1, 2020-June 30, 2022 reporting period, the pro bono service rule is effective July 1, 2019.
Pro Bono Legal Service – CLE Credits
The CLE Commission has been asked to interpret the phrase “[a] lawyer may obtain one credit hour for every three completed hours of pro bono legal service…,” as contained in Rule 6.05(f) of the State Bar’s Administrative Rules. The Commission has interpreted the phrase to mean that no partial credit will be given for pro bono work. An attorney must complete three full hours (or multiples thereof) in order to earn the associated one CLE credit.
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Temporary Waiver of Online Continuing Legal Education Credit Limit
Due to concerns associated with the COVID-19 virus, the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia has granted a request from the Mandatory Continuing Legal Education Commission for a temporary waiver of current CLE rules and regulations which limit the CLE credits for online and in-house credits to 12 credits. The temporary waiver is limited to the 2018-2020 reporting period. Please see the attached link for the full Order of the Court
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Recorded Videos of State Bar Seminars
Available for Viewing for Online Credit
Seventeen online CLE credits are currently available to attorneys through viewing recorded videos of previous State Bar seminars. The subject matters are criminal law (2 credit), succession planning (3 credits, including 3 credits in Law Office Management), probate law(3 credits), marijuana law (3 credits, including 1/2 ethics credit), landlord tenant law(3 credits) and intellectual property law (3 credits). Links are provided below to view the videos and to report the credits upon completion.
Criminal Law – Click her for seminar link
Succession Planing – Click here for seminar link
Probate Law – Click here for seminar link
Marijuana Law – Click here for seminar link
Landlord Tenant Law – Click here for seminar link
Intellectual Propery Law – Click here for seminar link
On April 16, 2020, The Supreme Court of Appeals ordered that the 2018-2020 CLE reporting period be extended to September 30, 2020.
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Let us Help YOU Submit Your CLE Credits
Tips and Step-by-Step Directions on
How to Submit Your CLE Credits
Per the Order of the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia, your CLE Reporting Period has been extended to September 30, 2020. Attached are directions for submitting your credits. Print the attached document and use it as your CLE Reporting Guide. If you do not submit your own CLE credits, please share this document with the individual who reports your CLE Credits.
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Over the past few weeks, the officers and our executive director have been tracking information from the CDC, the Governor, the Bureau of Public Health and the President on a daily basis. We have contacted the State Bar Board of Governors, members of our Young Lawyers Section Executive Committee, our speakers for both the Board and the Bridge the Gap seminars, our sponsors, and the Greenbrier to evaluate our options in light of the Covid-19 epidemic, now pandemic. Based on the current known, and future unknown circumstances, we have decided to cancel the Annual Meeting events scheduled at the Greenbrier on April 5-6, 2020. Logistics regarding Bridge the Gap presentations, including getting extensions for those who must have the Bridge the Gap program immediately, are being worked out. We are addressing other issues, such as recognition of our 50-year members and our Award recipients, as time and circumstances allow. If you personally made a reservation with The Greenbrier for a room, and do not wish to use the room as scheduled, please contact The Greenbrier and cancel your room. If you wish to keep your room, The Greenbrier will honor your request at the State Bar’s negotiated rate. If your reservation was made by the State Bar, the Bar will cancel the reservation. If you wish to keep it, contact The Greenbrier directly and make a new reservation at the reduced rate. If you have paid for the Annual Banquet or the Annual CLE program, the State Bar will automatically refund your money. If you have questions, please email them to Anita Casey at caseya@wvbar.org. Please do not call the State Bar, as staff may not have final information to provide, at least at this time. Instead, please keep watching the State Bar’s website and Facebook page for details. Information will be posted as details unfold.
ABA COVID 19 Trending Legal Resources & Related CLE’s
Medical Power of Attorney & Living Will Forms – Statutorily Approved
Government Agency Resources
CDC Guidelines and Instruction
Equal Employment Opportunity Guidelines
World Health Organization (WHO) Map of Outbreak and Precautions Information
OSHA’s Guidance on Pandemics
Vendors/Platforms for Teleconferences, Electronic Meetings & Video Conferencing
Zoom
GotoMeeting
Uber Conference
BlueJeans
Skype
Google Conferencing
Meeting Bridge
Meetings and Meeting Cancellations
Meeting Attrition Policies (Meeting Management Magazine)
Essential Legal Tips for Event Cancellation and Postponement
Twenty Tips for Virtual Events (Taragus)
Ten Virtual Event Tools to Move Your Meetings Online
Virtual Work Policies and Guides
10 Rules Found in Every Remote Work Policy
How to Create an Effective Telecommuting Policy
Remote Access Policy
Telecommuting Policy Sample
9 Home Office Upgrades to Improve Telecommuting
Is Your Crisis Communication Plan Ready?
Remote Work is Trending: How to Make it Work at Your Law Firm
How to Work Remotely as a Lawyer
COVID-19 Advice for Employers
An Employer’s Action Guide
Coronavirus (COVID-19) Employer FAQs
Pandemic Preparedness in the Workplace and the Americans with Disabilities Act
Awareness, Response, and Workplace Plans/Policies (Part 1)
Awareness, Response, and Workplace Plans/Policies (Part 2)
OSHA Guidance on Preparing Workplaces for COVID-19
Preparing for the Unknown – Disaster Preparedness and Business Continuity Planning for Law Firms
Virtual Client Service
Loving the Luddites: Serving Tech-Adverse Clients
Reassuring Clients You’re Prepared for COVID
Awareness, Response, and Workplace Plans/Policies (Part 3)
Working and Meeting in the Age of Social Distancing
How to Avoid Shaking Hands
Videos
Prioritizing in a Pandemic for Law Firms
Virtual Office Security
Law Firm Security
Security Skills
COVID-19 Security Resource Library
Top Tips for Working More Securely from Home
Cybersecurity, Common Sense, and COVID-19 (Coronavirus Disease 2019)
Cyber Security Policy Template
PH-COVID-19 Client Alert Series: Data Protection Issues
US Government Shares Tips to Defend Against Coronavirus Cyberscams
Working from Home: Cybersecurity Tips for Remote Workers
PC Mag Reviews of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)
Preventing Eavesdropping and Protecting Privacy on Virtual Meetings
Virtual Meeting Tips
Etiquette Tip: How to Participate in an Online Meeting
11 Teleconferencing Tips: Are You Ready for Your Closeup
What It Takes to Run a Great Virtual Meeting
How to Get People to Participate in Virtual Meetings
Working and Meeting in the Age of Social Distancing
Mail
Mail Forwarding (USPS)
UPS
FedEx
GoogleMyBusiness
EarthClassMail
Anytime Mailbox
Regus Mail Handling
CaseMail
Miscellaneous
How to Clean Your Smartphone and Keyboard the Right Way
How to Use WiFi Calling When Cellular Service Fails for iPhone and Android
ABA COVID 19 Trending Legal Resources & Related CLE’s
ABA Comprehensive Pandemic Resource Page
ABA Task Force on Legal Needs Arising Out of the 2020 Pandemic launches informational website
WASHINGTON, April 3, 2020 – The American Bar Association’s Task Force on Legal Needs Arising Out of the 2020 Pandemic launched a website today to provide information about resources, changes in benefits and emerging legal issues caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The task force, which includes representatives from the top legal organizations in the country, was created in response to the growing legal needs of ordinary Americans arising from the COVID-19 emergency.
The website includes resources on technology for remote service delivery, court closings and procedural changes, legal needs, emerging legal issues, public benefits programs and pro bono mobilization. It serves as a clearinghouse for valuable information such as practice tools for remote work, updates on new benefits provided in the CARES Act, protections against evictions and other actions due to job losses, court closings and mobilization of pro bono efforts.
Since information on the pandemic and the changes in the legal system are happening quickly, the website will be updated and supplemented frequently. The ABA welcomes new information for inclusion on the site. Please contact Denise Dempsey at denise.dempsey@americanbar.org with submissions for consideration.
“Lawyers are providing critical volunteer legal assistance during the pandemic as they do during other times of extraordinary challenge,” ABA President Judy Perry Martinez said. “The ABA Task Force website will serve as a ready resource for those who want to contribute and make a difference as the ABA moves forward in response to the pandemic to help those in need.”
The task force, chaired by James Sandman, the former president of the Legal Services Corporation, includes experts in disaster response, health law, insurance, legal needs of families to protect basic human needs, medical and employment benefits, criminal justice, civil rights and social justice.
The group is identifying legal needs arising from the pandemic, making recommendations to address them, and helping to mobilize volunteer lawyers and legal professionals to assist people who need help.
The website can be found at: americanbar.org/coronavirustaskforce
The ABA is the largest voluntary association of lawyers in the world. As the national voice of the legal profession, the ABA works to improve the administration of justice, promotes programs that assist lawyers and judges in their work, accredits law schools, provides continuing legal education, and works to build public understanding around the world of the importance of the rule of law. View our privacy statement online. Follow the latest ABA news at www.americanbar.org/news and on Twitter @ABANews.
Last week, we announced the launch of the Fastcase COVID-19 Resources page. This resources hub was created to centralize real-time, relevant information and resources about COVID-19’s impact on our community to arm you with information you need. In addition to Fastcase, Docket Alarm and Law Street Media free legal resources, we wanted to support and highlight those resources we consider invaluable and free among our peers, firms and government agencies.
You will find daily new resources at https://go.fastcase.com/e/427522/covid19-/6fk7sg/932885603?h=dJbnxheai7ZEhjsGRL3l_FUYmDsdW886uUlq21j5dWY.
This page is updated with relevant and free resources, including:
- Fastcase webinars for remote CLE credit
- COVID-19 searches on docket alarm and ongoing Docket Alarm webinars with real-time information on COVID-19 litigation as well as past recordings.
- A live feed of Law Street Media COVID-19 coverage
We welcome many free resources from Fastcase peers and partners that have launched in the last week:
- Legal news from Medical Risk Law Weekly News including a recent article about ventilators
- Coronavirus Tax Coverage by Taxnotes
- COVID-19 Legal Tools from Sixfifty
- COVID-19 Response Blog by Mayer Brown
- CLE Requirements and Deadline Updates from CLE seminars
From our bar association partners, the following local and practice area specific resource pages have launched and been added to the Fastcase resource page:
- COVID-19 Resource Center from AILA
- State Bar of Arizona Coronavirus (COVID-19) Information Center
- Arkansas Bar Association COVID-19 Preparedness
- California Lawyers Association Resource Page
- The DC Bar Working from Home Wellness Tips
- The DC Bar COVID-19 and Well-Being Resources
- The Florida Bar Resources Page
- State Bar of Georgia COVID-19 Updates
- MSBA Coronavirus Updates
- Missouri Bar Coronavirus Resource Center
- State Bar of Nevada’s COVID-19 updates and resources
- NJSBA Coronavirus (COVID-2019) Info and Resources
- New York State Bar Association COVID-19 Information Center
- North Carolina Bar Association COVID-19 Updates and Resources
- Resources from the NCBA Center for Practice Management for Law Firm Business Continuity During a Pandemic
- State of Oregon Law Library Resources
- South Carolina Bar COVID 19 Resources for Lawyers
- Tennessee Bar Association Pandemic Resources Center
- State Bar of Texas Resource Page
We encourage you to continue to review and share all of these free sites listed on the Fastcase COVID-19 Resources page during a time when we all need to come together.
