March 16, 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
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 18 - 20, 2021 Webinar
West Virginia Public Defender Services
Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Public Defender Services (PDS) will not hold an annual conference this year. Instead, anyone who would normally attend the PDS conference is encouraged to attend the upcoming WE THE DEFENDERS (WTD) national conference being held virtually by the National Association for Public Defense (NAPD) in March.
Host:  West Virginia Public Defender Services
Location:  Live Webinar
CLE: 15 live credits including 3 in ethics and a potential additional 15 including 3 in ethics on-line credits (total 30 credits including 3 in ethics)
Cost:  $50.00
March 23, 2021 Webinar
Group 401(k) Retirement Plan Programs - Why group 401(k)s
Host: The West Virginia Bar Association
Location: Online Zoom Webinar
Speakers: Robert G. Tweel, Jackson Kelly PLLC, and Justin Bonavitacola, Lincoln Financial Group
CLE: 1 credit
Cost: Free for WV Bar Association members and $10 for non-members
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.   

Greenbrier Group Bunker Tours
During the State Bar Annual Meeting, you will have the opportunity to participate in one of two private bunker tours. The first tour is on Saturday, April 10 at 2:30 p.m. The second tour is on Sunday, April 11 at 10:30 a.m. Each tour has a maximum capacity of 25 and will cost $40 per person. You must register by April 3. No refunds will be issued unless the State Bar is required to cancel a tour due to insufficient participation.

APRIL 12, 2021
West Virginia State Bar Young Lawyers 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 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 Greenbrier Resort – White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia
Date and Time: April 12, 2021, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Cost: Free

All attendees to Bridge the Gap are invited to attend the complimentary Attorney and Judicial Welcome Reception on Sunday, April 11, from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. (Cash Bar). Each attendee is also encouraged to register for and attend other events surrounding the Annual Meeting on Sunday April 11 (Bunker Tours, Brewery and Distillery Tours and the Annual Banquet). Check out this Bar Blast or the Annual Meeting website (http://annualmeeting.wvbar.org/) for more information.


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.
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.