West Virginia Association for Justice
2014 Mid-Winter Convention and Seminar
January 16 – 17, 2014
Embassy Suites Hotel
Charleston, West Virginia
15.4 CLE Hours, including 3.9 in ethics and law office management (pending)
Seminar Chairs
Robert M. Bastress III
Laura C. Davis
Allan N. Karlin
Chad S. Lovejoy
Seminar Program
Registration Fees
Meetings and Social Events
Accommodations
Cancellation Policy
Sponsors and Exhibitors
Sponsorship, Exhibitor and Advertising Opportunities
Download Brochure and Register by Mail
Thursday, January 16, 2014
8:50 – 9:00 a.m. Welcome
Bernie Layne, President – West Virginia Association for Justice
9:00 – 9:50 a.m. You Have to Know the Rules of the Game—And Then You Have to Play Better
Than Anyone Else: Improve Your Case by Knowing the Rules of Civil Procedure
Lonnie C. Simmons – DiTrapano, Barrett, DiPiero, McGinley and Simmons, Charleston
Charles DiSalvo – West Virginia University College of Law
9:50 – 10:15 a.m. The Disaster That Lurks Ahead: The Proposed Changes to the Federal Rules
of Civil Procedure and What You Can Do Before It’s Too Late
Susan Steinman – Senior Director of Policy and Senior Counsel, American Association for Justice
10:15 – 10:30 a.m. Break – Partially sponsored by Superior Settlements
10:30 – 11:45 a.m. Litigating in the Age of Marcellus Shale: Don’t Drill a Dry Hole for
Your Clients
Timothy C. Bailey – Bucci, Bailey and Javins, Charleston
Marvin W. Masters – Masters Law Firm, Charleston
David McMahon – Law Office of David McMahon, Charleston
New Lawyers Division Break-Out Session
From the Classroom to the Courtroom: What You Should Have Learned in Law School,
But They Were Afraid to Tell You
Kathryn R. Bayless – Bayless Law Firm, Princeton
Scott S. Blass – Bordas and Bordas, Wheeling
Harry G. Deitzler – Hill, Peterson, Carper, Bee and Deitzler, Charleston
David M. Hammer – Hammer, Ferretti and Schiavoni, Martinsburg
11:45 – 1:15 p.m. WVAJ Membership Luncheon (WVAJ Members Only)
1:15 – 2:30 p.m. Persuasive Briefs and Memoranda: Insights, Views and Lessons from the
District Court
Frank Volk – Law Clerk to Judge John T. Copenhaver, Jr., U. S. District Court, Southern District of WV
L. Anna Forbes – Law Clerk to Judge Thomas E. Johnston, U. S. District Court, Southern District of WV
2:30 – 3:45 p.m. The View from the Bench: What Judges Think About Us, Our Cases and What
We Can Do Better
The Honorable Paul T. Farrell – Judge, Sixth Judicial Circuit
The Honorable David Hummel – Judge, Second Judicial Circuit
The Honorable Jennifer Bailey – Judge, Thirteenth Judicial Circuit
3:45 – 4:00 p.m. Break
4:00 – 5:15 p.m. Legislation That Could Affect Your Clients and Their Cases: 2014
Legislative Preview (Invited Panelists)
Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin
Senate President Jeffrey V. Kessler
House Speaker Timothy R. Miley
Senate Judiciary Chair Corey Palumbo
House Judiciary Chair Timothy J. Manchin
Friday, January 17, 2014
8:15 – 9:15 a.m. Management and Employment Law for Your Legal Practice: What You Need to Learn
Now—Not As a Defendant
Jane E. Peak – Allan N. Karlin and Associates, Morgantown
9:15 – 10:30 a.m. Defending John Edwards: Professional Ethics in the Public Eye
Allison O. Van Laningham – Turning Point Litigation, Greensboro, North Carolina
10:30 – 10:45 a.m. Break
10:45 – 12:00 p.m. The Insider’s Advantage: Strategies Learned As a Defense Attorney That
You Can Use on the Plaintiffs’ Side of the Aisle
Brian Glasser – Bailey and Glasser, Charleston
Laura C. Davis – Skinner Law Firm, Charles Town
Todd S. Wiseman – Wiseman Law Firm, Parkersburg
Paralegal Division Break-Out Session
Work Smarter, Not Harder—And We Can Help: WVAJ Paralegal Division
Bernie Layne – WVAJ President, Mani, Ellis and Layne, Charleston
Kimberly C. Good – Chair, WVAJ Paralegal Division, Mani, Ellis and Layne, Charleston
Paula Moore – Vice Chair, WVAJ Paralegal Division, Powell and Majestro, Charleston
12:00 – 1:30 p.m. WVAJ Board of Governors Meeting and Luncheon (WVAJ Board Only)
1:30 – 2:45 p.m. Maximize Your Verdicts and Settlements: Increase Your Success in the
Courtroom by Framing Your Facts and Evidence Effectively
Jim Lees – Hunt and Lees, Charleston
2:45 – 3:00 p.m. Break
3:00 – 3:50 p.m. The View from the Top: West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals Update
Rory L. Perry II, Clerk – West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals
Paralegal Division Break-Out Session
A Paralegal's Guide to Motion Drafting
Thomas P. Boggs – Duffield, Lovejoy, Stemple and Boggs, Huntington
3:50 – 4:50 p.m. What You Know Can Hurt You: Your Duty to Report Ethics Violations, Substance
Abuse and Legal Malpractice
Robert M. Bastress III – DiTrapano, Barrett, DiPiero, McGinley and Simmons, Charleston
George Daugherty – Executive Director, West Virginia Lawyer Assistance Program
Select How You Want Materials
WVAJ seminar materials are now available in a bound notebook, a flash drive or by Internet download. Select what works best for you!
Paralegals Attend Attorney Seminar
The two-day WVAJ attorney seminar program is open to legal assistants who are employed by WVAJ member attorneys. In addition to the seminar program, two special paralegal breakout sessions have been planned. The regular registration fee of just $50 is available to a legal assistant who registers in conjunction with an attorney; the late registration fee is $60.
Download Brochure and Register by Mail
Wednesday, January 15
6:00 – 8:00 p.m. New Lawyers Party
Vandalia Lounge – 212 Hale Street, Charleston
Partially sponsored by FORGE Consulting
Thursday, January 16
11:55 – 1:30 p.m. WVAJ Membership Meeting and Luncheon (WVAJ members only)
Featuring AAJ President Burton LeBlanc
6:00 – 8:00 p.m. Cocktail Party and Legislative Reception
Partially sponsored by Synergy Settlement Services
Music sponsored by Structured Financial Associates
Friday, January 17
12:00 – 1:30 p.m. Board Meeting and Luncheon (WVAJ board only)
The convention hospitality suite is partially sponsored by FORGE Consulting
Accommodations
Special Rate Extended Through January 8. The Embassy Suites Hotel is located at 300 Court Street, Charleston. A special rate of $124 per night is available through January 8, 2014. The hotel’s complimentary breakfast and manager’s reception are included with your suite. To reserve your suite, phone (304)347-8700, ext. 5440 or go to www.embassysuitescharlestonwv.com. You must use the three-letter code AFJ when making your reservation to receive the special rate; online you will enter AFJ in the group/convention code space. Regular rates will apply for reservations made after January 4, 2014.
Cancellation Policy
All cancellations must be sent to the WVAJ office in writing. For a refund, less a $25 processing fee, your cancellation must be received no later than January 7. For cancellations received January 8 – 13, you will be refunded 50 percent of the registration fee. There will be no refunds after January 13, but seminar materials will be sent to you.
Download Brochure and Register by Mail
Mid-Winter Convention Sponsors and Exhibitors (through December 1)
Bucci, Bailey and Javins
Commonwealth Law Books
DSSC Solutions Company
FindLaw, a Thomson Reuters Business
FORGE Consulting
Keystone Engineering Consultants
Leading Technology
Med-Quest
Merrill Lynch
MetroNews
NFP Structured Settlements
Private Investigators and Security Professionals of WV
Providio Medi Solutions
Robson Forensic
Saponaro, Inc.
Sargent’s Court Reporting
Structured Financial Associates
Superior Settlements
Synergy Settlement Services
Tony the Tailor
Tyler Mountain Spring Water
Sponsorship, Exhibitor and Advertising Opportunities
Does your business provide consulting, other services or products to West Virginia attorneys? The 2014 WVAJ Mid-Winter Convention and Seminar provides you with an excellent, cost-effective opportunity to reach attorneys practicing throughout West Virginia and surrounding states. To learn more, download the event’s sponsorship, exhibitor and advertising package. If you have questions, email Debra Lee.
WVAJ AFFINITY PARTNERS
CONTACT WVAJ
Telephone: (304) 344 - 0692
Fax: (304) 343 - 7926
WVAJ OFFICE
208 Capitol Street, Suite 100
Charleston, WV 25301