May 23, 2023
FRIENDS OF THE STATE BAR
Thank you
2023 Annual Meeting Sponsors
2023 - AWARD WINNERS
The West Virginia State Bar congratulates the following award winners who were recognized at the State Bar's Annual Banquet on March 26, 2023.

Young Lawyer of the Year - Ashley M. Batten
Kaufman Award for ProBono Services - Thomas E. McIntire
Mentor of the Year - C. David Morrison

NEW STATE BAR OFFICERS AND MEMBERS
 
The West Virginia State Bar is pleased to announce new officers and members of the West Virginia State Bar Board of Governors for 2023-2024.

New officers are Christopher B. Frost – President; Shannon P. Smith - President-Elect; and David D. Amsbary - Vice President.

Newly elected members of the State Bar’s Board of Governors are: Dean G. Makricostas - Weirton; Joseph R. Canestraro - Moundsville; Angela N. Brunicardi-Doss - Parkersburg; Thomas H. Peyton - Nitro; and Abraham J. Saad - Huntington.

Newly elected officers of the West Virginia State Bar’s Young Lawyer Section Board are Lindsey D.C. McIntosh – Chairperson; Taylor P. Coplin - Chairperson-Elect; and Nicholas E. Gordon - Secretary.

Newly elected members of the State Bar’s Young Lawyer Section Board are: Katherine “Katie” R. Herrmann - Wheeling; Kyle A. Elliott - Friendly; John M. Isner - Parkersburg; and Julian P. Pecora - Huntington.
News
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
Notice of
Adoption of Rule 4.8 on Military Legal Assistance Admission
and Registration to the Rules for Admission
to the Practice of Law in West Virginia

On May 3, 2023, the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia entered an order adopting Rule 4.8 of the Rules for Admission to the Practice of Law.
Notice of
Adoption of Amendments to Rule 24 of
Rules of Appellate Procedure

On May 3, 2023, the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia entered an order adopting amendments to Rule 24 of the Rules of Appellate Procedure on filing fees and costs.
PUBLIC NOTICE FOR REAPPOINTMENT
OF INCUMBENT MAGISTRATE JUDGE ABOULHOSN
 
The current term of office of United States Magistrate Judge Omar J. Aboulhosn, at Bluefield, West Virginia, is due to expire on December 31, 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-year term.

The duties of a magistrate judge in this district include the following: (1) conducting most preliminary proceedings in criminal cases; (2) trial and disposition of misdemeanor cases; (3) conducting various pretrial matters and evidentiary proceedings on referral from the judges of the district court; and (4) conducting trial and disposition of civil cases upon consent of the litigants.

Comments are invited from members of the bar and the public 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 Rory L. Perry II, Clerk of Court, U.S. District Court, 300 Virginia Street East, P.O. Box 2546, Charleston WV 25329. Comments must be received by July 28, 2023.
WVU College of Law
Peer Bar Exam Consultants Wanted 
West Virginia University College of Law seeks young lawyers (i.e. individuals who took the bar exam within the last 10 years) to volunteer as Peer Bar Exam Consultants to recent law school graduates who plan to take the bar exam in July. Generally, Peer Bar Exam Consultants will serve as accountability partners and mentors through the bar exam preparation process. Consultants will keep in touch with their assigned graduates throughout the summer to discuss material covered in the commercial bar course, to answer questions pertaining to the bar examination itself, and to provide constructive feedback on work voluntarily submitted to the Consultant. Consultants are not expected to be experts in the substantive law. Rather, Consultants should point graduates in the right direction so that graduates can learn the substantive law from the commercial bar provider. Ideally, Consultants will familiarize themselves with the individual learning styles and characteristics of their graduates by working closely with them one on one, lend a listening ear when needed, and push their graduates over the finish line. We hope that Consultants will become personally invested in their graduates’ bar exam success.  
Consultants should anticipate spending between 1-3 hours per week between May 24 and the date of the bar examination, July 25 - 26, 2023 on activities related to the program. If you are interested in volunteering as a Peer Bar Exam Consultant, click her to complete the registration form. For questions, contact WVU Law Professor Kirsha Trychta at kwtrychta@mail.wvu.edu or 304-293-3882.  
CLE
CLE Rule Spotlight
Important CLE Reporting Reminders for 2022-2024 Reporting Period 

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
MAY 23, 2023
Lunch and Learn: Practical Tips on the Preparation of
Appeals in Child Abuse and Neglect Cases 
Host: Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia, Court Improvement Program
Time: 12:00 - 1:00 p.m.
Platform: WebEx
Cost: Free
CLE: 1 credit
Speaker: Teresa Lyons, Esq.
Agenda: Practical tips on the preparation of appeals in child abuse and neglect cases. The session will focus on how to draft common assignments of error and how to respond to common assignments of errors. Click Here to Register or contact Kandi Greter at Kandi.Greter@courtswv.gov
June 8-9, 2023
Public Defender Services
2023 Indigent Defense Annual Conference

Host: WV Public Defender Services
CLE: 12 credits, including 1 in ethics
Location: Charleston Marriott Town Center
Cost: See registration in brochure

Contact Pamela Clark at Pam.R.Clark@wv.gov for questions
June 9, 2023
Mountain State Bar Association
Annual CLE Seminar

Host: Mountain State Bar Association
CLE: 6 credits, including 2 in ethics & elimination of bias
Location: Bridgeport Conference Center, Bridgeport, WV
Cost: See registration in brochure
The West Virginia State Bar
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