Southern District of West Virginia CJA Plan Out for Public Comment:  On June 30, 2011, the judges of the United States District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia unanimously agreed upon a revised Criminal Justice Act (CJA) Plan and are now soliciting comments from the public. The Plan provides for the representation of indigent criminal defendants in the district. A draft is available on the Court's website, www.wvsd.uscourts.gov. Comments should be submitted in writing to the following address: Clerk, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia, Attn: CJA Plan Comments, P.O. Box 2546, Charleston, WV 25329.

Submissions must be postmarked by Friday, July 22, 2011. E-mail submissions will not be accepted.

"Raise A Glass to Public Service!"  Legal Aid of West Virginia invites you to join us for an after work reception as we raise a glass and toast those who have changed lives through public service.  On Friday, July 22 from 5:30-7:00 at the Embassy Suites Hotel in Charleston, we will present Professor Chuck DiSalvo of the WVU College of Law and Stuart McMillan of Bowles Rice McDavid Graff & Love with the Legal Aid "Star Awards".  We will also present Jamie S. Alley of the Office of the Attorney General, Civil Rights Division, with the esteemed Regina Charon "Zealous Advocate" Award.  Brief remarks will be provided by Rochelle Goodwin, State Director of the Office of United States Senator John D. Rockefeller, IV.

Hors d'eouvres and a cash bar will be available.  Your RSVP by July 20 to bcarte@lawv.net or 304.343.3013 Ext. 2146 is greatly appreciated!   

MEDIATION TRAINING SESSION - An  Advanced Mediation Training Session will be held on August 9, 2011, also at the Days Hotel in Flatwoods.  This session will offer 6.5 hours credit with 1.2 hours in ethics.  The Agenda is being finalized.
 Registration deadline is August 2.  

Click here to register for the Advanced Mediation Training Session
  
The State Bar has made arrangements with The Days Hotel for discounted rooms for those attending the training session.  Contact should be made directly with the hotel at 866-700-7284.  Advise the hotel you will be attending the training session to obtain The State Bar discount.  If you have questions concerning the discounted rooms, contact Kathy Henning at henningk@wvbar.org or 304-558-1044.    

The West Virginia Bar Association will be celebrating its 125th Anniversary at its Annual Meeting at The Greenbrier, August 11 - 13, 2011.  The WVBA is the oldest Bar in West Virginia and the 14th oldest Bar in the USA.

During the Annual Meeting, Forest Jackson "Jack"  Bowman will be presented with The WVBA's  prestigious Award of Merit which recognizes "a lawyer who has achieved a long and distinguished record of service to the legal profession in West Virginia and deserves recognition"  or "A member of the judiciary who has achieved a long and distinguished record of service as a Family Court Judge or Circuit Court Judge in West Virginia; and/or a Justice of the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia; and/or a U.S. District Judge in either the Northern or Southern District of West Virginia; and/or a Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, having resided in West Virginia at the time of appointment."

Dean Joyce E. McConnell will be installed as a new Executive Council Member of The West Virginia Bar Association.

Click here for the Annual Meeting program, registration form and reservation form.

IRS Increases Mileage Rate to 55.5 Cents per Mile - The Internal Revenue Service announced an increase in the optional standard mileage rates for the final six months of 2011. The rate will increase to 55.5 cents a mile for all business miles driven from July 1, 2011, through Dec. 31, 2011. This is an increase of 4.5 cents from the 51 cent rate in effect for the first six months of 2011, as set forth in Revenue Procedure 2010-51. In recognition of recent gasoline price increases, the IRS made this special adjustment for the final months of 2011. The IRS normally updates the mileage rates once a year in the fall for the next calendar year.  Click here for more information.

The following is reprinted from the State Bar of Texas website:

Be Wary of Scams Targeting Attorneys -  You should be extra-vigilant regarding potential scams involving fraudulent checks or wire transfers. These scams are increasing in sophistication, sometimes involving innocent third parties who seek legal services at the request of a scam artist.

The bottom line is this: Never issue a check from a trust account until deposited funds have been collected.

Recent scam scenarios include:

• unsolicited email requests for legal help collecting money or judgments, sometimes apparently coming from actual professionals whose identities have been stolen
• a real estate transaction for an overseas client (whose identity was stolen by a scam artist) involving an innocent third-party realtor
• impersonation of law firms by scam artists who issue bogus checks and attempt to charge a fee for the checks to clear
• a bogus check received by a law firm, purportedly for payment regarding representation of an inmate
• impersonation of a lawyer and law firm by a scammer "collecting debts" under the attorney's name

Again, be vigilant and do not disburse funds from your accounts until underlying funds have cleared your bank (and not simply been made "available").

Cases involving bank fraud are investigated by the Secret Service. If you are targeted, contact an office in your area. 

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

These Fastcase webinars have now been approved for 1.20 online (audio/video type) office management credits each.