Ringer
CHARLESTON -- In April, "The Law Works" discusses how legislation evolves, the jury selection process, employee performance evaluations, and whether the practice of law is a profession or a trade.
Join host Dan Ringer each Thursday night at 8:30 p.m. on West Virginia PBS as he and his guests debate these topics.
April 2: "Legislation" with guest David C. Hardesty Jr. Ringer and Hardesty will discuss the process for drafting an idea into a bill and the process for creating a new law.
Hardesty is president emeritus of West Virginia University and a professor of law at the WVU College of Law. He is a Rhodes Scholar with two degrees from Oxford University. He obtained his law degree from Harvard University.
April 9: "The Jury" with guests Judge Martin J. Gaughan and Judge Russell M. Clawges Jr. Ringer and his guests will outline the process for selecting a jury and how potential panelists are screened for cases. They will also talk about what the duties of a jury member.
Gaughan is a justice with the First Judicial Circuit in Hancock County. As an attorney his practice areas were criminal, domestic relations, and real estate law. He is a graduate of West Liberty State College and Duquesne University.
Clawges is chief justice of the 17th Judicial Circuit in Monongalia County. As an attorney his practice areas were litigation and real estate and insurance law. He is a graduate of West Virginia University.
April 16: "Employee Performance Evaluations" with guest C. David Morrison. Ringer and Morrison will discuss the intent of performance evaluations from a legal perspective. They will also talk about the "correct" and "incorrect" ways to use performance evaluations.
Morrison is a practicing attorney with Steptoe & Johnson in Clarksburg. His practice areas are labor and employment. He has tried over 40 cases and arbitrations. In addition he has argued more than 20 appeals before the West Virginia Supreme Court and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.
April 23: "Professionalism" with guest David C. Hardesty Jr. Even though it takes additional education and approval by a state bar to become an attorney, is the practice of law a profession or a trade? Join Ringer and Hardesty in this debate as they discuss perceptions and realities in an ever-changing field.
More information about these and other recent topics from the program is available at "The Law Works" Web site.
Now in its tenth season, "The Law Works" is the state's only weekly television show discussing legal issues that effect the lives of every day citizens. Ringer operates his own law practice in Morgantown. In 1999, Ringer was named West Virginia's first Lawyer Citizen of the Year of the WV Bar Foundation. He served as president of the WV State Bar (1999-2000) and was named the American Bar Association's Practitioner of the Year in 2000.
"The Law Works" is produced by West Virginia Public Broadcasting with content support from the WVU College of Law and Mountain State Bar Association. Funding for The Law Works is provided by the West Virginia State Bar, the West Virginia Association for Justice, ALPS Professional Insurance and the Monongalia County Bar Association.