March 21, 2023
FRIENDS OF THE STATE BAR
News
Public Interest Advocates (PIA) Auction
WVU College of Law Public Interest Advocates and
West Virginia Fund for Law in the Public Interest
to Host 35th Annual Benefit Auction
March 19-23, 2023

All proceeds to benefit PIA Fellowships for WVU College of Law Students working for low-income and at-risk West Virginians throughout the state. The week-long auction will conclude with a reception on Thursday, March 23, 2023 at the West Virginia University College of Law. The reception will begin at 7 p.m. Heavy hors d'oeuvres and desserts will be provided. The event is free and open to the public.
Auction items and bid at the following link: 32auctions.com/wvupia

Contact: Carrie Miller, President, Public Interest Advocates at cpm00006@mix.wvu.edu

Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia
Notice of Oral Argument
Proposed Amendments to WV Rules of Civil Procedure
March 29, 2023 at 1:00 p.m.
The Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia will hear oral argument on proposed amendments to the following West Virginia Rules of Civil Procedure: Rule 23(i), Rule 26, Rule 45, Rule 53, Rule 53.1, and Rule 56. The proposed amendments and public comments related to the rules set for argument are available on the Court’s calendar and docket page. Click Here for the Court's calendar and docket page

The oral argument will be live-streamed through the Court’s regular webcast.
PUBLIC NOTICE FOR REAPPOINTMENT
OF MAGISTRATE JUDGE MICHAEL J. ALOI
The current term of office of United States Magistrate Judge Michael J. Aloi at Clarksburg/ Elkins, West Virginia, is due to expire on September 30, 2023. The United States District Court is required by law to establish a panel of citizens to consider the reappointment of the magistrate judge to a new eight (8) year term.  The duties of a magistrate judge in this Court include, but are not limited to, the following: 1) conduct of most preliminary proceedings in criminal cases; 2) trial and disposition of misdemeanor cases; 3) conduct of various pretrial matters and evidentiary proceedings upon delegation from the judges of the district court; and 4) trial and disposition of civil cases upon consent of the litigants. Comments from members of the bar and the public are invited as to whether the incumbent magistrate judge should be recommended by the panel for reappointment by the Court and should be placed in an envelope marked “CONFIDENTIAL” and directed to Cheryl Dean Riley, Clerk of Court, U.S. District Court, 1125 Chapline Street, P.O. Box 471, Wheeling WV 26003. Comments must be received by April 17, 2023.   

UPDATE YOUR CONTACT INFORMATION
The State Bar will be mailing orange postcard reminders regarding membership reporting and fees in June for the July 1, 2023 - June 30, 2024 fiscal year. Please be sure to log into the membership portal and verify or update your contact information (Bylaw 2.02 (b)) by JUNE 1.
Information that you will need to verify or update include:
  1.  Name of Employer (If sole practitioner, enter the sole practitioner’s name)
  2. Address of Principal Place of Business
  3. Telephone and Fax Numbers
  4. Email Address
CLE
CLE Rule Spotlight
Mandatory CLE Requirement
 
Administrative Rule 6.05(c) states that “[n]o more than half of the total required mandatory continuing legal education requirements may be satisfied by pre-recorded presentations that do not offer an interactive component.”  Please note that this limitation has NOT been waived for the 2022-2024 reporting period.  The previous waiver of this limitation only applied to the 2020-2022 reporting period. Attorneys must achieve half of the total required CLE credits by a means other than pre-recorded presentations for the 2022-2024 reporting period.
Events
The United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
invites you to an oral argument session on
Wednesday, March 22, 2023 at 9:30 a.m.
Joan C. Edwards Performing Arts Center at
Marshall University
The special session is part of the court's initiative to visit law schools and universities. The event is free and open to the public. Attendees are encouraged to register. The court of appeals will hear three cases.


You Don't Look Like a Lawyer:
Recognizing & Responding to Microaggressions
March 26, 2023 -- 3:15 p.m. to 4:15 p.m.
Hosts: WV State Bar's Women in the Profession, Minority Lawyers, and LGBTQ+ Committees
Location: The Greenbrier Resort, White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia
Speaker: Ashley Hardesty Odell
CLE: 1.2 credits
Cost: Free
To Register email Jami Cooper at jami.cooper@cooperlawwv.com
or register at the door

March 27, 2023
West Virginia State Bar Young Lawyer Section 
Bridge the Gap Program
To be held in conjunction with the West Virginia State Bar Annual Meeting
 
About: Each new lawyer admitted to practice between July 1, 2018 through December 31, 2020 will have thirty-six months after their date of admission to complete the program. All new lawyers admitted on or after January 1, 2021 will have twenty-four months after their date of admission to complete the program.
Host: WV State Bar Young Lawyer Section 
Location: The Greenbrier Resort, White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia
Time: 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
CLE: 7.6 credits, including 4 in ethics/attorney wellbeing/law office management
Cost: Free

Registration is Closed

Only members admitted after July 1, 2018 or attorneys admitted prior to July 1, 2018, who have not previously completed the Bridge the Gap requirements, may attend the live course and satisfy the mandatory Bridge the Gap requirements.
Roadways to the Bench:
Who Me? A Bankruptcy or Magistrate Judge?
April 3, 2023

The federal Judiciary, led by the Judicial Conference Committees on the Administration of the Bankruptcy System and the Magistrate Judges System, will hold the second iteration of the national diversity event for law students and attorneys, "Roadways to the Bench: Who Me? A Bankruptcy or Magistrate Judge?"

When:
  • April 3, 2023, at 4 p.m. ET at the WVU College of Law in Morgantown, West Virginia, as well as 37 other locations across the United States.
  • A cocktail and heavy hors d’oeuvres reception will be held immediately following the roundtable event in the Fitzsimmons Event Center.
Local Roundtable Sessions:
  • After the national presentation, the program will proceed to in-person local roundtable sessions among law students, attorneys, and federal district, magistrate and bankruptcy judges from West Virginia. 
CLE: This is a non CLE event.
Event Registration and Contact information:
Registration is required and invitations will be limited. The registration window will open on January 31, 2023, and close on March 24, 2023. Registration and attendance is limited to attorneys and law students and will be awarded on a first come, first serve basis. Available seats may fill up before the registration window closes on March 24, 2023, so please register early.
Applicants will be notified by email of their acceptance as an attendeeOnly applicants receiving a written email invitation may plan to attend the event.
Contact Monica Nassif Haddad at monicahaddad@comcast.net  for more specific information about the event, including registration questions.
Views from the Bench: Insight from Reggie B. Walton, Senior United States District Court Judge
Presentation with reception to follow
April 12, 2023

Host: WV State Bar's Minority Lawyers Committee 
Location: West Virginia State University -- Fannin S. Belcher Theater in the Davis Fine Arts Center
Time: 3:00 p.m.
Cost: Free
CLE: 1 credit

Please join us to hear Judge Walton speak about his pathway to the bench, his experience presiding over high-profile cases, the operation of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, and how he reached success despite bias within the profession.

WVJLAP CONFERENCE & RETREAT
MAY 19-21, 2023

Host: WV Judicial & Lawyer Assistance Program
CLE: 8 credits in ethics/attorney well-being
Location: Stonewall Resort - Roanoke, WV