May 18, 2021
ANNUAL MEETING SPONSORS
UPDATE YOUR CONTACT INFORMATION
The State Bar will be mailing orange postcard reminders regarding membership reporting and fees in June for the July 1, 2021 - June 30, 2022 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
  5. Financial Responsibility Disclosure (FRD) (Bylaw 4.01 and Rule 4.01)
  6. IOLTA Account Information (Rule 10). Your IOLTA account should be titled: “Attorney or Firm name, IOLTA Account.” (Rule 10.05 (f)) IMPORTANT NOTICE: If your IOLTA account has any reference to the West Virginia Bar Foundation or the West Virginia State Bar, please take immediate action with your financial institution to have the reference removed.

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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. If you need confirmation of your status as an active member of the Bar, in order to obtain access to a correctional facility, please ask the facility if they will use/accept the procedure below: 
The State Bar staff is working with DMV and the Department of Transportation to get this issue corrected as soon as possible. Keep watching the Bar Blast for updated information.
News
Request for Public Comment on Proposed Amendments to 
Rule 7.0(c) of the Rules of Admission to the
Practice of Law in West Virginia
By order entered on May 17, 2021, the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia approved a 30-day period of public comment on amendments to Rule 7.0(c) of the Rules of Admission to the Practice of Law in West Virginia. The attorney oath is being amended to included a civility pledge. The Court provisionally approved the amendment to Rule 7.0 of the Rules for Admission to the Practice of Law in West Virginia and is publishing the amendment for comment.  All comments must be filed in writing with the Clerk of the Court on or before June 16, 2021.
11th Family Court Circuit Vacancy 
The Judicial Vacancy Advisory Commission is currently receiving applications to fill the judicial vacancy on the 11th Family Court Circuit serving Kanawha County. Candidates must submit their completed applications and letters of recommendation or comment no later than 5:00 p.m. on May 28, 2021. Applications and instructions are available on the Governor’s website. For more information about the application process, please call Manda Bickoff at 304-558-2000. Interviews will be held in on June 7, 2021.  
Events
Code Updates from the 2021 WV Legislative Session
and Discussion of SB277
MAY 25, 2021 - Noon

Host: The Government Lawyers' Committee
CLE:  2.1 credits
Cost: Free
Location: Webinar - Zoom
Speakers: Doren Burrell, West Virginia Division of Legislative Services, will provide an overview of the legislation that passed during the 2021 session and Christopher Ross, Pullin, Fowler, Flanagan, Brown & Poe, will discuss SB 277, the Covid-19 Jobs Protection Act. 

2021 BASIC MEDIATION TRAINING
JUNE 2 and 3, 2021
Host: State Bar ADR Committee
CLE: 16.5 credits including 1 Ethics
Cost: $150
Location: Flatwoods Days Inn and Suites and Flatwoods Conference Center, 350 Days Drive, Sutton, WV

A block of rooms has been reserved at the Flatwoods Days Inn & Suites at the discounted rate of $99.00 plus and taxes and fees for June 1 and 2. To receive the discounted rate, inform the hotel that you are attending the WV State Bar's event when making your reservation. The reservation contact number is 304-765-5055.  

Information on the Advanced Mediation Training, scheduled for July 29, 2021, coming soon

Save the Date for a live Bridge the Gap Program
July 23, 2021
Rescheduled from our Spring event
 
Host: West Virginia State Bar Young Lawyer Section Bridge the Gap Program
About: Each new lawyer admitted to practice after 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.
Location: The Summit Bechtel Reserve – Glen Jean, West Virginia
Date and Time: July 23, 2021, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Cost: Free

The Summitt Bechtel has 24 rooms available for the program. Reservations can be made by calling Curtis George at 304-465-2800 or Curtis.george@scouting.org. Please reference BTG2021 when making your reservation. Room rates are $125 for a king or queen room or $140 for a room with two queen beds and a sofa.  *

Only attorneys 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.

Registration will be open on the West Virginia State Bar website beginning June 18, 2021.
CLE Announcements
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 FOR THE 2020-2022 reporting period.
Extension of the Bridge the Gap Requirement
Attorneys admitted to the WV State Bar between July 1, 2018 and December 31, 2020 have been granted a one-year extension of time to complete the mandatory Bridge-the-Gap Program.
The extension was based on a determination by the Court that attorneys within that time frame 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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