The oil and gas industry contributes a significant portion of the energy used in the US. Drilling in the Appalachian Basin—which includes West Virginia (WV), Pennsylvania (PA), and Ohio (OH), among other states—provides a rich source of the fuels that power our country and its economy. In turn, the oil and gas industry provides WV, PA, and OH and their residents with quality, well-compensated employment opportunities and related economic benefits. These relationships mean that developments like President Joe Biden’s recent executive orders impacting the oil and gas industry are important WV oil and gas news.

The West Virginia (WV) Legislature has passed a bill called the West Virginia Appellate Reorganization Act, which will establish an intermediate court of appeals in WV. Assuming that Governor Jim Justice signs the bill, and he is expected to do so, West Virginia will become the 46th state with an intermediate court of appeals, which will hear appeals from courts in civil matters and family court matters and from various administrative courts. This article, however, focuses on the ways in which the new court will impact workers’ compensation litigation in WV.

When considering a commercial property purchase, it’s important to understand how WV commercial real estate closings affect your legal rights and business interests. Commercial property transactions are especially complicated because they may involve multiple parties, various legal entities, liability concerns, and large sums of money.

A complete estate plan provides instructions in the event of incapacity during life as well as instructions on the distribution of the estate after death. Just as a will tells loved ones the decedent’s wishes after death, estate planning documents dealing with healthcare decisions can provide guidance during life when the decedent is unable to communicate those wishes. 

There is a saying, “nothing can be said to be certain but death and taxes.” Getting the carpets cleaned, getting our vehicles inspected, deep cleaning the house, going for an annual physical, and filing taxes are all things to be completed annually. The last two are, of course, to (hopefully) mitigate death and taxes. Few realize one item is missing from this list: the unified credit annual exam.