March 23, 2021
WV STATE BAR OFFICE ACCESS
The State Bar Center will be open for individual/in-person access for members beginning March 1, 2021. Masks will be required. Group meetings will continue to be held via Zoom access until further notice. Bar staff remain available and happy to answer questions and/or assist members of the Bar and public, via telephone or email, during normal operating hours of 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. The Bar can be reached by calling 304-553-7220.
News
13th Judicial Circuit Vacancy
The Judicial Vacancy Advisory Commission is currently receiving applications to fill the judicial vacancy on the 13th Judicial 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 April 1, 2021. If an application was submitted for the vacancy filled in February 2021, a letter of interest with any changes that may have occurred since the last submittal, will be accepted in place of a full application. 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 April 15, 2021 in Charleston, WV (in person and tele-conference options will be available).
New Member Benefit
Greenbrier Executive Health is now a State Bar member benefit. In a time of so much uncertainty, your health should not be one of them. Physicians will spend between an hour to an hour and a half face to face with you for the best overall physical. Identify as a State Bar Member and receive a discount. For more information, please email info@greenbrierclinic.com or call 304-536-4870 ext. 271.  
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
MARCH 24, 2021 - Webinar
Probate Avoidance, Deed Choices for WV Real Estate,
and Appraisement and Inventory
Host: The WV State Bar Probate Law Committee
CLE: 3 CLE credits
Cost: Free Webinar
Time: 1:00 pm. to 4:00 p.m.
Speakers:
  • J. E. White - Probate Avoidance
  • Christopher J. Winton - Deed Choices for WV Real Estate
  • Anna Price - Preparing the Appraisement and Inventory
Location: Live, Interactive Webinar
April 10, 2021 at 3:00 p.m.
Speaking up: Courtroom and Career Narratives from a Jury Consultant
Host: Women in the Profession Committee
CLE: 1.8 credits in elimination of bias/attorney well-being/law office management
Cost: Free
Speaker: Claire Luna, former Los Angeles Times Reporter and Managing Partner of Jury Impact
Location: The Greenbrier Resort
The newly formed Women in the Profession Committee will present its inaugural program on Saturday, April 10, 2021 at 3:00 p.m. at the Greenbrier, in conjunction with the upcoming Annual Meeting. Former Los Angeles Times Reporter and Managing Partner of Jury Impact, Claire Luna will present, “Speaking up: Courtroom and Career Narratives from a Jury Consultant.” Ms. Luna will share her candid and insightful observations on the importance of finding our voices, both inside and outside the courtroom, and how her gender has shaped her career. We will follow the program with a reception and dinner.   There is no additional charge for the CLE program, though the reception and dinner are both self-pay. Space for the program is very limited, so register now! If you are not a member of the Women in the Profession Committee but are interested in joining, please contact Jami Cooper at jami.cooper@cooperlawwv.com or Lee Hall at lmh@jenkinsfenstermaker.com.   We would love to have you as a member!
To register for the program, email Jami Cooper at jami.cooper@cooperlawwv.com (or call 304-842-0505) or email Teresa McCune at tess_mccune@hotmail.com.  
APRIL 11-12, 2021
West Virginia State Bar's 2021 Annual Meeting & Seminar 
Location:  The Greenbrier Resort, White Sulphur Springs, WV
  • Reception Sunday, April 11 from 5:30-7:00
  • Awards banquet, Sunday, April 11 at 7:00 ($ 180)
CLE Date and Time: Monday, April 12, 2021 - 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
CLE:   6 credits
Cost:  $150 - CLE Program

Note: State Bar Members who are employed as Federal/State Public Defenders, Federal/State Court Law Clerks, and with Legal Aid of WV are offered a special discounted rate for the CLE presentation on April 6.  CLICK HERE for more information.  

A block of rooms has been reserved at The Greenbrier Resort, White Sulphur Springs, at $189 per night + resort fees, historic preservation fee, and applicable taxes.  To receive the discounted rate, call The Greenbrier at 855-441-2078 and use Code WVSB2021 when making your reservation.  The discounted room rate is now only available for April 11 and 12, 2021.



MAY 6, 2021 - 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
The Pathway to Lawyer Well-Being Webinar
Host: West Virginia Judicial & Lawyer Assistance Program
CLE: 3 CLE credits
Cost: Free Webinar
Speakers/Times:

1:00 to 1:50 - "The Psychology of Transitions" by Robynn E. Moraites, Esq., Executive Director of the North Carolina Lawyer Assistance Program

2:00 to 2:50 - "Transforming Stress" by Colleen Harshbarger, MS, Wellbeing Solutions

3:00 to 3:50 - "Compassion Fatigue in the Legal Profession"  by
  • The Honorable William S. Thompson, Circuit Judge of the 25th Judicial Circuit
  • David Wandling, Esq., Logan County Prosecuting Attorney
  • Rachael Fletcher Cipoletti, Chief Counsel of the WV Office of Disciplinary Counsel
Location: Live, Interactive Webinar
WVJLAP ANNUAL CONFERENCE & RETREAT
MAY 14 - 16, 2021
2021 Wellness Weekend
Host: West Virginia Judicial & Lawyer Assistance Program
CLE: 5.6 CLE credits in attorney well-being (ethics)
Cost: $150 CLE & Banquet (See registration for optional costs)
Location: Stonewall Resort, Roanoke, WV

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 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.