HEARING/VISION/LANGUAGE GRANT-    
         During its last meeting, the Bar Foundation Board of Directors approved a grant to Mountain State Justice, the statewide organization which provides significant litigation and civil legal services to underserved West Virginians. In the photo above, Bar Foundation Board member, WVU College of Law Professor Marjorie McDiarmid , on the left, discusses the benefits from the grant funds with Mountain State Justice staff members in their Morgantown office. From left to right are, Office Manager Brandie Huff, Attorney Michael Nissim-Sabat, and Paralegals Emily Lopez and Blue Sullivan. The grant proposal mentions that many West Virginians are not aware of services that are available to them due to limited outreach through materials and training sessions that focus on people with limited English proficiency or those with substantial hearing or sight impairment. Mountain State Justice plans “to focus on reaching these particularly vulnerable populations and provide them with increased access to legal services and education on their civil rights.” According to the grant proposal, federal government figures show that approximately 350,000 state citizens have a vision or hearing disability. In addition, more than 47,000 West Virginians speak a language other than English in their homes. Thanks to Your Support, Bar Foundation grants, like this one, are meeting our mission to improve the administration of justice and the provision of legal services to West Virgina’s men, women and children!
BAR FOUNDATION FELLOWS-2020 CLASS-
The WV Bar Foundation Board of Directors is very pleased to announce the outstanding members of the 2020 Class of Bar Foundation Fellows. The criteria for the Fellows is— “Those lawyers whose professional, public and private careers have demonstrated outstanding dedication to the welfare of their communities and honorable service to the legal profession with the individuals selected reflecting the diverse nature of the legal profession in West Virginia.” Since 1999, the Bar Foundation’s Board of Directors has selected approximately 400 lawyers and judges to be Fellows from the more than 8,000 WV lawyers and judges. The 2020 class members are: Perri Jo DeChristopher-Morgantown Barbara Fleischauer-Morgantown Carte Goodwin-Charleston Anne Harman-Wheeling Karen Kahle-Wheeling Judge H. L. Kirkpatrick-Beckley Judge Thomas Kleeh-Clarksburg Charles Loeb-Charleston Melissa Luce-Charleston Christopher Luttrell-Martinsburg Sandra Murphy-Charleston Larry Rowe-Malden Gloria Stephens-Welch Teresa Tarr-Charleston Professor John Taylor-Morgantown Justice Beth Walker-Charleston Brenda Waugh-Charles Town These Fellows will be honored at the 22nd Annual Fellows Dinner which has been set for Thursday, April 23, 2020, at the Charleston Marriott Hotel, beginning at 6:00 PM. The well received event (black tie optional) begins at 6:00 PM and the cost is $2,000 for a special designated Reserved Table of ten persons with individual seats at a cost of $150. The majority of the amount is tax deductible and the net proceeds from the Dinner are used for Bar Foundation grants to improve the administration of justice in the state. Please contact Tom Tinder to make your reservations—(304)-343-9823, tom@wvbarfoundation.org or WV Bar Foundation, P. O. Box 4845, Charleston, WV 25364. Join your colleagues and friends to honor the 2020 Bar Foundation Fellows on April 23!
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THANK YOU AGAIN-
A second Thank You for your support of the Bar Foundation, particularly relating to the Bar Foundation Public Service Scholarship at the WVU College of Law! The Scholarship is presented to a law student who demonstrates a personal desire to pursue a legal career in public service and public interest, as determined by the Law School. Several years ago, the first recipient of the Scholarship was Michael Nissim-Sabat, the Mountain State Justice Attorney in the photo above. After the Scholarship enabled Michael to complete his law school education, he worked as a Law Clerk for U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Stephanie Thacker and then continued his commitment with his position at Mountain State Justice. The Bar Foundation Board of Directors commends Michael for his important work in providing legal representation to West Virginians during their time of need.