LITIGATION SEMINAR 2011 - Hotel Room Block Extended through February 16! - WVCLE, sponsored by The West Virginia State Bar and the WVU College of Law, will present Litigation 2011 on February 25-26, 2011, at Canaan Valley Resort in Davis, West Virginia.  All hotel rooms will be released February 16, 2011.  This conference features experts addressing issues in Litigation.  Speakers include Mark Atkinson, Pamela Tarr, Jeffrey A. Holmstrand, Albert Sebok, Bernard Vallejos, Geoffrey C. Brown, Professor Thomas Cady, The Honorable Alan D. Moats, Kimberly Fields, Andrew S. Graham, and Jeffrey D. Van Volkenburg.  Litigation 2011 is worth 10.4 WV MCLE credits, including 2.2 Ethics credits.   If you would like to register for this seminar or for more information, please CLICK HERE or call (304) 293-7255 for more information. 

GILMER, CALHOUN, RITCHIE AND DODDRIDGE COUNTIES - State Bar President Tish Chafin and Executive Director Anita Casey will be visiting your Courthouses on March 2, 2011.  Please plan to join them for a short, conversational meeting.  The schedule is: 11:00 am - Calhoun County (Courtroom) 

9:00 am -  Gilmer County (Courtroom)   
11:00 am - Calhoun County (Courtroom)

  1:30 pm - Ritchie County (TBD)

  4:00 pm - Doddridge County (TBD)

ROANE COUNTY - On March 7, 2011, at 10:00 a.m., State Bar President Tish Chafin and Executive Director Anita Casey will be visiting Roane County.  Please come join them in the Circuit Courtroom to discuss matters of interest to members of the Bar. 

 YOUR BOARD OF GOVERNORS AT WORK - On January 14 and 15, 2011, the Board of Governors of the West Virginia State Bar recently met at the offices of Steptoe & Johnson in Bridgeport, West Virginia for one of its regularly scheduled quarterly meetings.  During the course of this meeting, the Board discussed and received numerous reports relating to the mission of the West Virginia State Bar:

�Received report from WVCLE Chairperson, Stephen L. Thompson, and Jessica Justice who discussed the current financial condition of WVCLE and the upswing of prior program CD sales as well as the national recognition for the WVCLE's "Solo and Small Firm" programming. 

�Received report from American Bar Association delegate Dan Callaghan concerning the upcoming ABA Mid-Year Meeting in Atlanta and membership on the nominating committee.  Mr. Callghan also reported on those individuals that are running for national ABA positions. 

�Discussed various options concerning plans for the State Bar Center in light of the State Bar Strategic Plan of improving its facilities and infrastructure.

�Confirmed various appointments to the Lawyer Assistance Committee

�Approved various IOLTA distributions to approved entities.

�Received a report from Kyle Lusk who reported on his work with the contract issues between the Bar and HQ Publishing.  Thereupon, approved the agreement between the Bar and HQ Publishing to continue publishing the improved West Virginia Lawyer

�Received report from Mike Romano, President of the West Virginia Association for Justice.  Mr. Romano reported on the initiatives of the Association in creating a "Speaker's Bureau" for the education of the public on important legal issues and described how the process will work. 

�Received report from Young Lawyers Section Chairperson, Chris Gardill, who reported on YLS Developments for the "Law Adventure" program that YLS is involved.  Further discussed the YLS initiatives to ensure YLS representatives are present from each district.  Mr. Gardill was also active as on the BOG's delegation participating on the Visiting Committee at the WVU College of Law.

�Confirmed three nominees for the Chief Administrative Law Judge, West Virginia Office of Tax Appeals.

The next regularly scheduled meeting of the West Virginia State Bar Board of Governors will be at the annual meeting in Charleston, West Virginia in April 2011.

YLS Note - The Young Lawyers Executive Committee met at Snowshoe on January 22, 2011. During the meeting, the Committee discussed the status of several YL initiatives. Work on the Wills for Heroes program is nearing its final stages and should be ready for its trial run in the coming months. Once the program is up and running, the YL Committee will provide information on how you can get involved. The WV Law Adventure Program is underway and is a great opportunity for young lawyers to introduce WV's youth to the legal system through participation in a mock trial. Please let your YL representative know if you are interested in helping out. Finally, the YL Committee is seeking volunteer lecturers for its Bridge-the-Gap program.  The Bridge-the-Gap program is an on-line legal education program consisting of video lectures on numerous topics.  Every newly admitted State Bar member must complete the Bridge-the-Gap seminar within six months prior to admission, or within twelve months after admission.  Specifically, the YLS is expanding this program to offer a wider range of topics and updates on current information.  You will be asked to present a one hour discussion on any approved legal topic of your choice.  This presentation will be recorded and included on the YLS website.  If you are willing to volunteer to help this important program, please contact Jacqui Sikora (Gianola, Barnum, Wigal & London, L.C.) at jsikora@gbwlaw.net or (304) 291-6300.

UPCOMING FASTCASE WEBINARS - Click here to review a complete listing of upcoming Fastcase webinars.