February 2, 2021
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COVID 19 ISSUES

WV STATE BAR OFFICE ACCESS

The Bar Center will remain closed until further notice.
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
Temporary Waiver of Online and In-house Continuing Legal Education Credit Limit
Due to ongoing 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, or half of the mandatory continuing legal education requirements. Attorneys will now be able to earn all or any portion of the required 24 CLE credit minimum through video, audio, correspondence, telephone seminars, computer-based training courses and in-house instruction, so long as the courses otherwise satisfy the requirements of the CLE rules and are approved for CLE credit in West Virginia. This temporary waiver is limited to the 2020-2022 reporting period ending June 30, 2022. System upgrades will have to be completed before CLE transcripts will reflect the waiver of the online/in-house limitation. Watch for future Bar Blast announcements when system upgrades are complete.

Most CLE providers are continuing to convert their live seminars to webinar format due to the coronavirus. Please note that live, interactive webinars (simultaneous electronic synchronous broadcasts) can now be approved as live attendance CLE credit if the courses meet the interactivity requirements of the current CLE rules.  Both the temporary waiver of the limitation on online and in-house credits, as well as the live, interactive webinar rule should aid attorneys in meeting their CLE requirements for the current reporting period. Please see the attached link for the full Order of the Court
News
Request for Public Comment on Proposed Amendments to
Rule 2 of the West Virginia Trial Court Rules

By order entered on January 28, 2021, the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia approved a 30-day period of public comment on amendments to Rules 2.05 and 2.29 of the West Virginia Trial Court Rules. The Trial Court Rules are being amended to reflect that Mason County is part of the Fifth Circuit. The public comment period closes on March 1, 2021. All comments must be filed in writing with the Clerk of the Court on or before March 1, 2021.
United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
Notice of Adoption of Standing Order 21-01
The Fourth Circuit has adopted new procedures for filing, service, and management of highly sensitive documents. Comments on the new procedure may still be sent to the Court. All comments must be submitted to the Court on or before March 12, 2021 by writing Patricia S. Connor at 1100 East Main Street, Suite 501, Richmond, Virginia 23219 or via email at rulecomments@ca4.uscourts.gov.
To view the full text of the Notice and the Order click here.
Call for Judges: 2021 National Energy and Sustainability Moot Court
 
The National Energy and Sustainability Moot Court Competition, hosted March 10-13 by WVU Law, is seeking volunteer judges. This year, the competition is being held online. Early round judges must be attorneys of good standing licensed to practice law in any state. Now in its 11th year, the National Energy and Sustainability Moot Court Competition attracts exceptional law students from across the country. A record 40 teams are signed up to compete this year. To volunteer or for questions, please email wvumoot@mail.wvu.edu. For more information on the competition, click here.
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.
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
FEBRUARY 4-5, 2021 Webinar
Litigation2021

Host:  West Virginia University College of Law
Location:  Live Zoom Webinar
Time: February 4 - 11:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
February 5 - 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Cost:     $225
CLE: 11.3 credits, including 2.9 in ethics and law office management. Pending approval in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.

Questions contact Lauren McCartney at lauren.mccartney@mail.wvu.edu
FEBRUARY 18 - 19, 2021 Webinar
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!
Changes to 2021 Schedule for Basic Mediation Training
and Advanced Mediation Training

June 2 and 3, 2021 - Basic Mediation Training - Flatwoods, WV (originally scheduled for March)

July 29, 2021 - Advanced Mediation Training - Bridgeport, WV (originally scheduled for June)

Registration will open soon.
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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