This Time Of The Year: West Virginia Suspends 25 For CLE Lapses
The West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals has suspended 25 attorneys for CLE non-compliance
This is a proceeding instituted on February 27, 2017 by the West Virginia Mandatory Continuing Legal Education Commission ( Commission ) pursuant to Chapter VII, section 7.4 of the Rules and Regulations of The West Virginia State Bar, seeking the suspension of the license to practice law of seventy-seven active members of the West Virginia State Bar who failed to provide proof of compliance with the rules of this Court concerning mandatory continuing legal education, set forth in Chapter VII of the Rules and Regulations of the West Virginia State Bar. This Court issued a rule to show cause on March 2, 2017, returnable May 23, 2017, why each of the lawyers should not be suspended from the practice of law for such noncompliance.
Subsequent to the filing of the petition and issuance of the rule to show cause, fifty-two respondents provided satisfactory proof of compliance with mandatory continuing legal education requirements and were dismissed from the action. Accordingly, the following twenty-five respondents remain [the names of the suspended]
The duty
[By court order] all active members of The West Virginia State Bar were required to complete twenty-four credit hours of approved continuing legal education, with at least three of those credit hours in the topical areas of legal ethics, office management, substance abuse and/or elimination of bias in the legal profession, between July 1, 2014 and June 30, 2016. Active members of the West Virginia State Bar admitted between July 1, 2014 and June 30, 2015 were required to complete twelve approved credit hours, with at least three of those credit hours in the topical areas of legal ethics, office management, substance abuse and/or elimination of bias in the legal profession, prior to June 30, 2016. The Commission required all attorneys to report the completion of such requirements on or before July 31, 2016. Members were encouraged to report credits online through the state bar membership portal.
(Mike Frisch)