(a) Establishment. — There is hereby established a statewide judicial and lawyer assistance program to be known as the West Virginia Judicial and Lawyer Assistance Program (WVJLAP), which shall provide immediate and continuing help to members who suffer from any physical or mental and/or emotional health conditions that affect their ability to practice or serve.
(b) Purpose. — WVJLAP has four primary purposes:
(1) To protect the interests of clients and the general public from harm caused by impaired members of the legal profession;
(2) To assist impaired members of the legal profession to begin and continue recovery;
(3) To educate the bench, the bar, and the public to the causes of and remedies for impairments affecting members of the legal profession; and
(4) To develop programs that emphasize prevention of conditions that might negatively affect members of the legal profession.
(c) Funding and Administration. —
(1) The salary of the executive director, and staff, if any, their expenses, administrative costs, and the expenses of the members of WVJLAP shall be paid from funds provided by The West Virginia State Bar. Each year WVJLAP shall submit a proposed annual budget for the next fiscal year to the Board of Governors detailing the projected revenues and expenses.
(2) WVJLAP shall seek to establish additional private and public sources of funding that may include gifts or bequests from any source and earnings on investments of the WVJLAP fund, which may be used to supplement the annual salaries, costs, and expenses of the program.