CHARLESTON – Fifteen West Virginia attorneys have been suspended for failing to complete mandatory continuing legal education requirements.
The state Supreme Court issued a unanimous memorandum decision April 11 suspending the lawyers.
Under State Bar rules, all active attorneys were required to complete 24 CLE credit hours between July 1, 2020, and June 30, 2022. Three of those hours had to have been in topic areas of legal ethics, office management, substance abuse and/or elimination of bias in the legal profession.
In November, the West Virginia Mandatory Continuing Legal Education Commission filed a petition with the state Supreme Court that sought to suspend 48 members of the bar. The Supreme Court issued a rule to show cause in December, and 33 were dismissed from the action after providing proof of compliance or for other reasons, according to the decision.
The attorneys suspended are Gregory J. Campbell, Harrison Paul Case, Matthew Edward DeVore, Christian Alexander Gerencir, Amanda Beth Godwin, Dasha Gorlov, Jeffry H. Hall, Eric Paul Hensil, Holly Wolfe Hinerman, William P. Jones, Erryonna Nichelle Leonard, Mark P. Pelligrin, Anthony F. Reilley, Virginia Shenkan and Joseph G. Troisi.
Their licenses were suspended immediately, but they could be automatically reinstated after completing the mandatory CLE requirements and satisfying any financial penalties.
West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals case number 22-827