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YOUR BOARD AT WORK - The West Virginia State Bar board of governors met October 21/22 at Parkersburg. The board reviewed, and unanimously approved, the proposed purchase of a replacement headquarters building. The new bar facility is located in NorthGate Business Park at Charleston, and will be convenient and appropriate for its intended use.
The board reviewed and discussed all aspects of the state bar budget. Thanks to the assistance from Sue Troy, the state bar's first in-house professional accountant, the board was able to evaluate and compare costs by specific line items.
Two factors have reduced the bar's fixed facility and utility costs. First, the Supreme Court help was significant with regard to relocation and rent for Office of Disciplinary Counsel (ODC). Second, the annual cost of the bar facility will be reduced because payments and expenses on the new building will be less than the costs incurred through the prior lease arrangement with the foundation.
The board was updated as to steps taken by the executive director and officers to computerize dues collections and CLE data input. The board hopes that the resultant cost savings and staff retooling can allow the bar to continue and improve services within available funding. With the current structure, the West Virginia State Bar dues remain quite low when matched to similarly sized state bars which provide comparable services.
The board was apprised of the increasing case load for ODC, which correspondingly takes an ever increasing percentage of the state bar's available fixed revenue.
The board heard and approved IOLTA distributions as recommended by the IOLTA advisory committee.
The board considered and approved the recommendations of Steve Thompson on behalf of the MCLE Commission with regard to amending the MCLE rules to mandate written materials for all programs. The amendment enumerates limited exceptions. There is a specific exception that permits local bars to present accredited one hour programs without the necessity of preparing or distributing written materials.
The board also approved appointment of the initial board members who will service the new Lawyer Assistance Program that is funded in part by a grant from ALPS and in part from bar membership dues. The board universally acknowledged that the program would not have previously existed were it not for countless years of volunteer service and leadership by the late Arch Riley of Wheeling.
At the conclusion of the meeting, the board met in executive session for approximately one hour to discuss employment and personnel issues. No actions or votes were taken during the executive session.
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