News

MORGANTOWN, WEST VIRGINIA – The Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia will convene at the West Virginia University College of Law on Wednesday, March 4, to hear five cases. The hearings will begin at 10 a.m. in the Marlyn E. Lugar Courtroom. Admission is free and open to the public. Seating begins at 9 a.m.

The first case to go before the court will be SER Ralph A. Lorenzetti, Jr., Prosecuting Attorney v. Honorable David H. Sanders, Judge; and Elizabeth Shanton. In this case, the prosecuting attorney seeks a writ of prohibition challenging a Circuit Court order dismissing 53 of 54 counts against Elizabeth Shanton. Shanton has been indicted on 53 counts of fraudulent or unauthorized use of a State Purchasing Card and one count of fraudulent schemes.

The second case is Gary W. Rich v. Joseph Simoni, et al. It deals with the following question certified by the District Court: Are the West Virginia Rules of Professional Conduct statements of public policy with the force of law equal to that given to statutes enacted by the West Virginia Legislature?

Update 2/23/15: The mediation competition at WVU Law was won by the College of William & Mary’s Parisa Tabissian and Eva Zelson, who advance to the national finals. The runner-up (2nd place) team was WVU Law’s Brandon Cole and Donald Kersey.

MORGANTOWN, WEST VIRGINIA—The West Virginia University College of Law is hosting the American Bar Association (ABA) regional mediation competition on Saturday, February 21, and Sunday, February 22.

The 16th annual competition will feature teams from eight law schools: WVU, American University, Georgetown University, Hoftra University, Regent University, the University of Richmond, the College of William and Mary, and Washington and Lee University.

Sponsored by the ABA’s Section of Dispute Resolution, the competition gives law students the opportunity to practice important mediation skills. Professional mediation is frequently an alternative to litigation in resolving legal disputes.

WVU is being represented by two mediation teams: Ashley Reynolds/Liz Stryker and Brandon Cole/ Donald Kersey. Andrew Waight and Wes Prince are alternate team members. Anthony Nortz is theWVU competition chair, and Thomas Patrick, professor of law, is the team coach.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. —The McClatchy Company (NYSE: MNI) today named Billie S. McConkey as vice president, human resources.

A practicing labor and employment attorney, McConkey, 44, has provided legal counsel to three different news companies over her 20-year career. Since 2006, she has served as special employment counsel to McClatchy, providing guidance on labor and employment issues. She begins her new role March 9 as the company’s top human resources executive and a member of McClatchy’s senior management team.

“Billie has a long history of working with our markets in the area of employee relations and has a deep understanding of our culture,” said McClatchy President and CEO Pat Talamantes. “Leaders both at corporate and in our markets have tremendous confidence in Billie’s judgment, resourcefulness and work ethic. I couldn’t be happier to have her lead our dedicated team of human resources professionals.”

Born and raised in Charleston, W.Va., McConkey earned a bachelor’s degree from West Virginia University and her law degree from West Virginia University’s College of Law, where she graduated first in her class and was executive editor of the West Virginia Law Review. She moved to Arizona in 1995 to begin her legal career, working in private practice and specializing in employment issues.

MORGANTOWN, WEST VIRGINIA—A panel discussion at the West Virginia University College of Law will explore China’s climate change policy and how the world’s most populous country is connected to West Virginia by carbon emissions and global warming.

“Climate Change, China, and the West Virginia Connection” will be held in the College of Law event hall on Thursday, February 12, from 7:00 p.m.-8:30 p.m. Admission is free and the public is invited to attend.

The panelists will be Sarah Forbes, senior associate and energy and China specialist with the World Resources Institute, and Jerry Fletcher, environmental and natural resources economics professor and director of WVU’s US-China Energy Center.

The discussion moderator will be Ben Gilmer, project manager with Downstream Strategies, an environmental consulting firm based in Morgantown. Attorney Sam Petsonk, former energy policy staff member for the late Senator Robert C. Byrd, will also make remarks. Audience members will have the opportunity to ask questions.

The West Virginia University College of Law is using a $120,000 grant from the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation to help revitalize cities and towns in the state.

Awarded to the Land Use and Sustainable Development Law Clinic, the grant is supporting a program called West Virginia Legal Education to Address Abandoned/Neglected Properties, or WV LEAP. Through the program, clinic attorneys and students will help communities deal with decaying, abandoned, or uninhabitable buildings.

According to Katherine Garvey, director of the LUSD Law Clinic, neglected properties can be difficult for municipalities to address because of a lack of clarity on applicable laws, problems locating property owners and legal complexities related to property titles.

With WV LEAP, Garvey hopes to provide state municipalities with the tools and strategies available to them through technical legal assistance.

During the spring and summer of 2015, the LUSD Law Clinic will compile data and conduct legal research that will be made available to municipal attorneys as a resource on specific steps communities can utilize to combat problems of abandoned or decaying properties.

Emphasis will also be placed on educational outreach initiatives. The WV LEAP team will conduct a Continuing Legal Education session for West Virginia attorneys on May 14 in Charleston.