West Virginia CLE Course Catalog

In 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was arrested in Birmingham, Alabama for violating the States’ law against mass public demonstrations. From his jail cell, Dr. King penned an important response to clergy-people who criticized the protest that got him arrested. The words from that letter have proved to be among Dr. King’s most important writings and, interestingly, they are relevant to lawyers as well. Join the CLE Performer, Stuart Teicher, Esq., as he evaluates the text of that letter and explains how the content of that critical piece of correspondence can help lawyers improve inclusion in the practice of law.

If a person can be proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt of a crime, then the criminal-justice system can(doesn’t mean it will) get that person off the streets, at least temporarily, but… What happens when such a person has served his/her sentence, yet we identify that person (hopefully correctly) as still dangerous?… Or, what if we identify a person (hopefully correctly) as dangerous, but that person has not been convicted of a crime? What can the mental-health “system” do? – i.e., what are the legal requirements for short-and long-term involuntary civil commitment?">If a person can be proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt of a crime, then the criminal-justice system can(doesn’t mean it will) get that person off the streets, at least temporarily, but… What happens when such a person has served his/her sentence, yet we identify that person (hopefully correctly) as still dangerous?… Or, what if we identify a person (hopefully correctly) as dangerous, but that person has not been convicted of a crime? What can the mental-health “system” do? – i.e., what are the legal requirements for short-and long-term involuntary civil commitment?

In this session, Dr. Brian Russell will discuss how the Violence Risk Assessment is used to evaluate individuals for potential violence. He will provide real case examples to provide a clearer understanding how these tools work, where it failed and how it has improved since it's conception.

The Britney Spears conservatorship case has brought a lot of attention to the Conservatorships and Guardianship laws throughout the country. In this program, Dr. Brian Russell uses his expertise to provde some useful legal context to the case, provide lawyers with a better understanding of where the pitfalls are and how they can do right by their clients.

With the scale of change witnessed in 2020 from businesses battling the pandemic, to exploring the increasing importance of ESG, diversity and inclusion, the world of compliance, ethics and culture is likely to undergo much change in the coming years, which should be for the better. In this session, we will explore these emerging trends and how they link to the role of General Counsel in the "new normal".

As digital currencies continue to be part of the business ecosystem, the discussion will focus on what these currencies are, their impact on business as well as on the legal considerations around them.

During this discussion, we will highlight how small legal departments can achieve more with less by utilizing whatever resources are available to them in an attempt to avoid relying heavily on outside counsel. Also, the experts will share their views on what additional resources are available and where to find them so that small legal departments can keep their organizations safe while helping them grow.

As companies recognize the cost of employees’ poor wellbeing, the discussion will look to shine some light on what has been done thus far and what else needs to be done to improve, and where necessary, change the established course on the issue of attorneys wellbeing.

As we are almost a year into the new administration, the panel discussion will highlight the impact of its various initiatives on business has been. Additionally, a portion of the discussion will center on whether or not businesses have seen the anticipated increased regulatory and enforcement activity as well as what they expect to see going forward.