Tinney.Fazzolari Photo
Frank Fazzolari, Executive Director of the Family Counseling Connection, on the left, receives a WV Bar Foundation grant from Bar Foundation President John Tinney.

BAR FOUNDATION GRANT
The WV Bar Foundation has provided a grant to the Family Counseling Connection of the Kanawha Valley for staff education and  training in the areas of adult sex offender treatment therapy and child play therapy. The grant will provide counseling and therapy opportunities for adults and children who are involved in abuse and neglect situations. The administration of justice will be improved by providing quality treatment to individuals who have received orders from the judicial system, as well as assessments when children need to be evaluated for suspected abuse. The Bar Foundation has awarded more than $54,000 in grants in the past 20 months to worthwhile organizations in the state.

OFFICE OF DISCIPLINARY COUNSEL WEBSITE
The Office of  Disciplinary Counsel, the investigative and prosecutorial entity for the Lawyer Disciplinary Board, has implemented an excellent website–wvodc.org. The ODC, which has the important responsibility for enforcing legal ethics and professionalism rules, has provided a wealth of information and materials on its website that will benefit lawyers practicing in West Virginia and educate members of the general public. The homepage of the website displays a picture of the ODC’s fine office facility in Charleston, which is owned by the WV Bar Foundation and leased to the ODC.

CITIZEN AND LAWYER OF THE YEAR AWARDS-
Since 1996, the West Virginia Bar Foundation has provided annual awards to honor two West Virginians who have performed outstanding community service. One award, the Lawyer Citizen of the Year Award is presented to a West Virginia lawyer. The second award, the Public Citizen of the Year Award, is presented to a non-lawyer West Virginia citizen. The deadline for nominations for the 2010 awards is FEBRUARY 26. The forms for nominations are located on the Bar Foundation’s website—wvbarfoundation.org—- under Awards on the toolbar.