Protecting West Virginia’s Civil Justice System and the Rights of West
Virginia’s Consumers, Workers, Small Business Owners and Their Families.
West Virginia Association for Justice
2020 Mid-Winter Convention & Seminar
January 30 - 31, 2020
Embassy Suites Hotel
Charleston, West Virginia
15.1 CLE hours, including 3.6 in ethics and law office management
2020 Convention Committee
Thomas P. Boggs
Laura C. Davis
John Einreinhofer
Damon L. Ellis
Cheryl A. Fisher
Cynthia Loomis Hardesty
Amanda J. Taylor
Thursday, January 30, 2020
8:00 a.m.
Registration Opens
8:50 - 9:00 a.m.
Welcome
Kristina Thomas Whiteaker, President
9:00 - 9:50 a.m.
Identifying and Evaluating All Relevant Claims for Your Client: Don't Learn What You Should Have Filed in the Defendant's Motion for Summary Judgment
Matthew Stonestreet - The Giatras Law Firm, Charleston
9:50 - 10:40 a.m. (Choose One)
Drilling Deeper into Oil and Gas in West Virginia: Emerging Issues in Oil and Gas Law
Cynthia Loomis Hardesty - Loomis Law Office, Salem; David McMahon - Law Office of David McMahon, Charleston; Kristina Thomas Whiteaker - Grubb Law Group, Charleston; Scott Windom - Windom Law Offices, Harrisville
New Lawyers Division Don't Get Stuck with a Case You Never Should Have Filed: Making Good Intake Decisions and Avoiding Cases from Hell
J. R. Carter - Bailey, Javins and Carter, Charleston and Kelly Reed - Law Offices of Kelly Reed, Morgantown
10:40 - 10:50 a.m.
Break - Sponsored by ADR Office of Edd McDevitt
10:50 - 11:00 a.m.
Meet the Exhibitors and Special Announcements
11:00 - 12:15 p.m.
Exposing and Defeating the Defense Case: Issue Contamination Strategies
John Romano - Romano Law Group, Palm Beach, Florida
12:15 - 1:30 p.m.
WVAJ Membership Meeting and Luncheon (WVAJ members only)
1:30 - 1:40 p.m.
Meet the Exhibitors and Special Announcements
1:40 - 2:55 p.m.
Good Faith Settlement Offers: The Metrics That Matter the Most When Adjusters Evaluate Claims
Stuart Setcavage - Grant Street Claims, Pittsburgh
2:55 - 3:55 p.m.
Don't Make Matters Worse When You Receive an Ethics Complaint: The Do's and Don'ts of Responding to Complaints from the Office of Disciplinary Counsel
J. B. Akers - Akers Law Offices, Charleston; Mark W. Kelley - Ray, Winton and Kelley, Charleston; Ancil Ramey - Steptoe and Johnson, Huntington
3:55 - 4:05 p.m.
Break
4:05 - 4:15 p.m.
Meet the Exhibitors and Special Announcements
4:15 - 5:05 p.m.
What's Going On Under the Capitol Dome: 2020 Legislative Session Update
Invited Panelists: Senate President Mitch Carmichael; Speaker Roger Hanshaw; Sen. Charles Trump IV, Chair - Senate Judiciary Committee; Del. John Shott, Chair - House Judiciary Committee; Sen. Michael Romano; Del. Tim Miley; Brian Abraham, General Counsel - Office of the Governor; Kristina Whiteaker, Moderator
Friday, January 31
8:00 - 8:50 a.m.
Medicare and Medicaid Compliance in the New Age: Managing the Subrogation Red Tape in 2020
Rodd Santomauro - Synergy Settlement Services, Washington, D. C.
8:50 - 10:05 a.m.
Unifying Juries in a Dangerously Divided World
Artemis H. Malekpour - Malekpour and Ball Consulting, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
10:05 - 10:15 a.m.
Break
10:15 - 10:25 a.m.
Meet the Exhibitors and Special Announcements
10:25 - 11:15 a.m. (Choose One)
Litigating in the 2020 West Virginia Supreme Court: Preparing and Presenting Cases in the Brave New World of West Virginia Appellate Litigation
Elbert Lin - Hunton Andrews Kirth, Richmond, Virginia and Anthony Majestro - Powell Majestro, Charleston
New Lawyers Division Mediation from Start to Finish: Advocacy, Ethics and a Little Fun
Monica Haddad, Morgantown and Edd McDevitt, Charleston
Paralegal Division Handling Medicare and Medicaid Liens: What a Paralegal Needs to Know
Rodd Santomauro - Synergy Settlement Services, Washington, D. C.
11:15 - 12:05 p.m.
Getting Your Clients What They Deserve: Maximizing Damages in Small and Medium Size Cases
David Romano - Romano Law Offices, Clarksburg
12:05 - 1:30 p.m.
WVAJ Board of Governors Meeting and Luncheon (WVAJ board members only)
1:30 - 1:40 p.m.
Meet the Exhibitors and Special Announcements
1:40 - 2:30 p.m.
The View from the Bench: What Judges Expect from You When Litigating Discovery Disputes in Federal and State Courts
The Honorable Omar J. Aboulhosn, Judge - U. S. District Court Southern District of West Virginia; the Honorable Gregory L. Howard, Judge - 6th Judicial Circuit Court; and the Honorable Joseph Reeder, Judge - 29th Judicial Circuit Court
Paralegal Division Building the Client File: What You Need to Know to Protect Your Client and Your Firm
Rachael Fletcher Cipoletti, Chief Lawyer Disciplinary Counsel - West Virginia Office of Disciplinary Counsel
2:30 - 3:30 p.m.
Navigating the Cybersecurity Landscape: Protecting Your Clients, Your Practice and Your Law License
Scott Edwards and Hannah Haynes - Netranom, Hurricane and Rachael Fletcher Cipoletti, Chief Lawyer Disciplinary Counsel - West Virginia Office of Disciplinary Counsel
3:30 - 4:30 p.m.
Lawyer Impairment and Well-Being: Are We Fit to Practice?
Yvette Hourigan, Director - Kentucky Lawyer Assistance Program, Frankfort, Kentucky
CLE
This seminar is worth 15.1 hours of CLE credit, including 3.6 in ethics and law office management for the West Virginia Bar. In states with 60-minute credit hours, it is worth 12.5 hours, including 3.0 in ethics. (Pending)
Convention Materials
Seminar materials are provided to registrants electronically free of charge. You may select either a flash drive or Internet download. If you want printed materials, a convention notebook is available for an additional charge of $30. Please note that if you prefer a notebook, it is best to pre-register for the convention. A limited number of extra convention notebooks will be available for those who register onsite.
Paralegals Attend Attorney Seminar
The two-day WVAJ seminar program is open to legal assistants who are employed by WVAJ members. In addition to the general program, special paralegal breakout sessions are scheduled. An early registration fee of just $70 for both days is available to a legal assistant who registers in conjunction with an attorney; the regular registration fee is $90.
The Embassy Suites Hotel is located at 300 Court Street, Charleston. The convention rate of $134 is available through Friday, January 16, 2020. The convention rate includes the hotel's complimentary breakfast and manager's reception. To reserve your suite, phone (304)347-8700 or reserve your room online. You must use the code JUS to receive the convention rate. Regular rates will apply for reservations made after January 10.
Registration
If you plan to pay by check, please download the brochure and register by mail. If you plan to pay by credit card, please register online. WVAJ accepts Visa, Master Card, American Express and Discover. In addition to pre-registration, you may register onsite at the convention. Registration opens at 8:00 a.m. on Thursday, January 30 and at 7:45 a.m. on Friday, January 31.
Cancellations must be sent to the WVAJ office in writing. For a refund, minus a $25 processing fee, your cancellation must be received no later than January 17. For cancellations received January 18 - 23, you will be refunded 50 percent of your fee. There will be no refunds after January 23, but seminar materials will be sent to you.
Attention WVAJ Members
If you plan to attend the membership and/or board meeting(s) at the convention, please RSVP to Debra Lee.
Questions?
Call WVAJ at (304)344-0692 or email Debra Lee.
Wednesday, January 29
6:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Welcome Party (open to all convention registrants, sponsors and exhibitors)
The Block - 201 Capitol Street, Charleston
Sponsored by Physician Life Care Planning
Thursday, January 30
12:15 - 1:30
WVAJ Membership Meeting and Luncheon (WVAJ members only)
6:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Convention Party and Legislative Reception (open to all convention registrants, sponsors and exhibitors)
Clay Center for the Arts and Sciences - 1 Clay Square, Charleston
Coaches will shuttle registrants, sponsors, exhibitors and guests between the hotel and the Clay Center
Sponsored by Physician Life Care Planning and Synergy Settlement Services; music sponsored by Sage Settlement Consulting
Friday, January 31
12:05 - 1:30 p.m.
WVAJ Board of Governors Meeting (WVAJ board only)
ADR Offices of Edd McDevitt
Anatomical Justice LLC
Bailey, Javins and Carter
Ben Salango for West Virginia
Cattie Law
Charleston City Reporters
Compulse Legal
Filevine
FORGE Consulting
Keystone Engineering Consultants
The Legal Wizards, LLC
Lexis Nexis
MDTimelines
Netranom
NFP Structured Settlements
Physician Life Care Planning
Realtime Reporters
Robson Forensic
Sage Settlement Consulting
Saponaro, Inc.
Sargent's Court Reporting
Smart Advocate
Synergy Settlement Services
Tanner Legal Nurse Consulting
TopDog Legal Marketing
WVU College of Law
Anatomical Justice LLC
Bailey, Javins and Carter
Ben Salango for West Virginia
Cattie Law
Charleston City Reporters
Compulse Legal
Filevine
FORGE Consulting
Keystone Engineering Consultants
The Legal Wizards, LLC
Lexis Nexis
MDTimelines
Netranom
NFP Structured Settlements
Physician Life Care Planning
Realtime Reporters
Robson Forensic
Sage Settlement Consulting
Saponaro, Inc.
Sargent's Court Reporting
Smart Advocate
Synergy Settlement Services
Tanner Legal Nurse Consulting
TopDog Legal Marketing
WVU College of Law
(thru January 8, 2020)
Convention Sponsorship, Exhibitor and Advertising Opportunities
Want to market your products and services to attorneys and paralegals? Sponsorship, exhibitor and advertising opportunities are available for your business at WVAJ's 2020 Mid-Winter Convention and Seminar. Our convention will connect you with legal professionals working throughout West Virginia and in surrounding states. To learn more, download the Mid-Winter Convention Sponsorship, Exhibitor and Advertising Package. If you have questions, email Debra Lee or call (304)344-0692.
WVAJ AFFINITY PARTNERS
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