December 22, 2020
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WV STATE BAR OFFICE ACCESS DURING COVID-19

The Bar Center will remain closed through the end of the year for all in-person access. Bar staff will remain available, via telephone or email, during normal operating hours to answer questions. The Bar can be reached by calling 304-553-7220.
Free CLE Seminars:
19 seminars for a total of 39 online A/V credits are available if you watch all of the seminars.  Click here to see complete list of available recorded CLE credits


BAR ID CARD ONLINE SERVICE UNAVAILABLE  
The WV DMV is currently unable to process requests for Bar ID cards due to an upgrade of their system. The online system has been taken offline and will be offline until further notice. We hope to have the system back online soon. If you requested a Bar ID card recently but have not received it contact Mike Mellace at Mellacem@wvbar.org


News
Adoption of Amendments to Rules of Appellate Procedure
Rule 7 and Rules 19 and 20
On December 3, 2020, the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia entered an order approving amendments to Rule 7, requiring the appendix record in an electronic format, and requiring that official transcript pages be numbered sequentially unless the transcripts already contain assigned page numbers.
Rules 19 and 20 of the Rules of Appellate Procedure are also amended to give the respondent guardian ad litem in a case time to present oral argument separate from the time allotted to the respondent.
TUESDAY LEGAL CONNECT
The State Bar is in need of volunteer attorneys on Tuesday evenings, during January 2021, to field legal questions from the public as part of the "Tuesday Legal Connect" program. Volunteers from anywhere in the state can now work remotely from their home, office, etc. All the volunteer needs is a telephone and computer/tablet etc. If you would be interested in helping in December, please email David Frercks as soon as possible.
Position Open for Commissioner of
WV Legislative Claims Commission
The West Virginia State Bar is seeking candidates for the position of Commissioner of the Legislative Claims Commission. The State Bar Board of Governors will nominate three (3) lawyers and will submit these names to the Speaker of the House and the President of the Senate for appointment to the Claims Commission. The term is for six (6) years. A minimum of ten (10) years’ experience as a licensed attorney is required. A full description of qualifications can be found in W.Va. Code Section 14-2-4 and 14-2-10, and compensation is provided for in W. Va. Code Section 14-2-8. This position involves hearing and deciding claims filed against state agencies and the Crime Victims Compensation Fund. The main offices of the Claims Commission are at the State Capitol with travel to other parts of the state for hearings. Some administrative law, mediation, or other judicial experience would be beneficial. 
 
If you qualify for appointment, and would like to be considered for nomination, please send your letter of interest and resume, with all supporting information and letters of reference - in one packet - to Anita R. Casey, Executive Director, The West Virginia State Bar, 2000 Deitrick Blvd., Charleston, WV 25311 or caseya@wvbar.org. Nominations must be received, via email or regular mail with a Receipt/Postmark date/time of no later than 11:59 p.m., December 30, 2020.
2021 State Bar Membership Directory
See below for pre-order information and forms for the 2021 edition of the West Virginia State Bar 2021 Membership Directory. To pre-order a paper version, click here.
Events
JANUARY 19, 2021 Webinar
Securing Law Practice Technology and Reporting CLE

Host: WV State Bar
CLE: 3 credits in Law Office Management
Cost: Free
Time: 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. EST
Location: Live Zoom
Speakers/Topics: 
  • Danielle Cox, WV Office of Technology
  •        “Cybersecurity Essentials – Making yourself less of a target”
  • Todd Sexton, Identillect
  •         “Is Your Mobile Device at Risk”
  • Angela Volk and Michael Mellace, WV State Bar
  •     “Reporting CLEs and Using State Bar Technology”

The webinar will focus on technology issues including how to keep your firm/office cyber secure, encrypting email, and how to report CLE. You and your employees are encouraged to attend the live webinar. Because Zoom capacity is limited, the Bar requests that attendees participate as a social-distance group rather than individually.  


SAVE THE DATE – February 18 - 19, 2021
2021 WVAJ Mid-Winter Seminar LIVE, INTERACTIVE WEBINAR
Host: West Virginia Association for Justice
CLE: 15.90 credits, including 3.9 in ethics and law office management
Time: See Convention Program
Location: Live, Interactive Webinar
Open to all attorneys practicing in West Virginia. The best high-quality, low-cost CLE available, featuring leading state and national attorneys. Special discount available through January 31!
CLE Announcements
Extension of the Bridge the Gap Requirement
Attorneys admitted to the WV State Bar between May 1, 2019, and December 31, 2020 have been granted a one-year extension of time to complete mandatory the Bridge-the-Gap Program.
This extension is in addition to the one-year extension previously granted by the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia to those admitted between July 1, 2018, and April 30, 2019. A determination was made that additional attorneys were adversely affected by the cancellation of the Bridge-the-Gap program scheduled in April 2020 due to COVID.
The West Virginia State Bar
www.wvbar.org
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