# West Virginia HB 5366: Relating to rules governing the practice of law

West Virginia HB 5366, Relating to rules governing the practice of law, is a 2026 Regular Session House bill sponsored by Joe Funkhouser (Republican); status signed, last action 2026-06-29 (Chapter 262, Acts, Regular Session, 2026) (as of 2026-11-04).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/WV-HB5366-2026rs
- As of: 2026-11-04
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: West Virginia HB 5366
- State: West Virginia
- Session: 2026 Regular Session
- Title: Relating to rules governing the practice of law
- Status: signed
- Chamber: House
- Introduced: 2026-02-09
- Last action: 2026-06-29, Chapter 262, Acts, Regular Session, 2026
- Sponsor: Joe Funkhouser (Republican)
- Cosponsors: 1
- Subjects: §51-1-4A
- Touches household money: no
- Roll calls: 3 (224 yes, 0 no in all)
- Economic provisions PRIA read: 3

## Summary

No summary available.

## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read

- Privacy for lawyer assistance records: benefit, low. Beginning June 12, 2026, records from the Judicial and Lawyer Assistance Program can be kept confidential under Court rules. These records are not public if the rules designate them as confidential. This protects the privacy of attorneys who use the program.
- Lawyers must join bar and pay fees: cost, low. Beginning June 12, 2026, anyone who practices law in West Virginia must be a member of the State Bar in good standing. The Supreme Court sets a fee schedule that attorneys must pay to support administration. The law does not list fee amounts or timing. You must pay the Court-set fees to keep your s…
- Supreme Court sets lawyer rules: mixed, low. Beginning June 12, 2026, the Supreme Court of Appeals sets the rules for practicing law in West Virginia. The Court defines the practice of law, sets attorney and judicial ethics, and runs lawyer discipline. The West Virginia State Bar continues inside the courts to enforce these rules under Court-…

## Sponsors and cosponsors

- Sponsor: Joe Funkhouser (Republican), House
- Cosponsor: James Robert "JB" Akers II (Republican), House

## Roll call votes

| Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2026-03-14 | House | House concurred in Senate amendment and passed bill (Roll No. 684) | pass | 97 | 0 |   |
| 2026-03-13 | Senate | Passed Senate with amended title (Roll No. 565) | pass | 34 | 0 |   |
| 2026-03-04 | House | Passed House (Roll No. 310) | pass | 93 | 0 |   |

## Bill text

- Engrossed: [HTML](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Text_HTML/2026_SESSIONS/RS/bills/hb5366 eng.htm), [PDF](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Text_HTML/2026_SESSIONS/RS/bills/hb5366 eng.pdf)
- Enrolled: [HTML](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Text_HTML/2026_SESSIONS/RS/bills/hb5366 enr.htm), [PDF](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Text_HTML/2026_SESSIONS/RS/bills/hb5366 enr.pdf)
- Introduced Version: [HTML](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Text_HTML/2026_SESSIONS/RS/bills/hb5366 intr.htm), [PDF](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Text_HTML/2026_SESSIONS/RS/bills/hb5366 intr.pdf)

## Related bills

- HB 5353: To bring virtual currency kiosks within the purview of money transmission licensure and create disclosure requirements and daily transaction limitations for ne… (signed)
- HB 4452: To remove Mortmain restrictions on religious organizations (signed)
- HB 4354: Relating to necessity allowance (signed)
- HB 4390: Relating to the temporary payment to a kinship parent of a subsidy equal to that of a foster parent (signed)
- HB 4191: Relating to providing child care generally (became law)
- HB 4138: Relating to persons convicted of a crime (signed)

## Sources
- [Engrossed (HTML)](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Text_HTML/2026_SESSIONS/RS/bills/hb5366 eng.htm)
- [Engrossed (PDF)](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Text_HTML/2026_SESSIONS/RS/bills/hb5366 eng.pdf)
- [Enrolled (HTML)](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Text_HTML/2026_SESSIONS/RS/bills/hb5366 enr.htm)
- [Enrolled (PDF)](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Text_HTML/2026_SESSIONS/RS/bills/hb5366 enr.pdf)
- [Introduced Version (HTML)](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Text_HTML/2026_SESSIONS/RS/bills/hb5366 intr.htm)
- [Introduced Version (PDF)](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Text_HTML/2026_SESSIONS/RS/bills/hb5366 intr.pdf)

## Related
- [HB 5353: To bring virtual currency kiosks within the purview of money transmission licen…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/WV-HB5353-2026rs)
- [HB 4452: To remove Mortmain restrictions on religious organizations](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/WV-HB4452-2026rs)
- [HB 4354: Relating to necessity allowance](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/WV-HB4354-2026rs)
- [HB 4390: Relating to the temporary payment to a kinship parent of a subsidy equal to tha…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/WV-HB4390-2026rs)
- [HB 4191: Relating to providing child care generally](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/WV-HB4191-2026rs)
- [HB 4138: Relating to persons convicted of a crime](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/WV-HB4138-2026rs)
- [West Virginia bills](https://policyrisk.com/states/west-virginia/bills)
- [West Virginia state hub](https://policyrisk.com/states/west-virginia)
- [All state legislation](https://policyrisk.com/state-bills)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/WV-HB5366-2026rs (as of 2026-11-04).