As many professionals know, learning does not stop once you enter the career of your choice. Rules and policies change, sometimes people need a refresher, or there are innovations within the industry. Practicing law is no exception. That’s why attorneys use CLE courses as part of their continuing professional development.
What Is CLE?
CLE stands for continuing legal education and takes place after attorneys are admitted to the bar. In the United States, many states and territories require that attorneys complete certain CLE courses so they can continue to practice law. The purpose of CLE is to keep lawyers and attorneys informed of any changes in the law.
Since there are no nationwide rules for accreditation in the United States, each state, territory, and the District of Columbia chooses how to regulate their attorneys. This includes setting rules for CLE accreditation and requirements, which is set by the supreme court of that jurisdiction.
In the past, there have been repeated efforts to create uniformity in the CLE programs across the country and the territories. The American Bar Association promoted a rule for all jurisdictions to adopt, as has the Continuing Legal Education Regulators Association in regards to attendance certification and a glossary for distance learning.
Who Requires Continuing Legal Education?
There are currently 46 states that require their lawyers to earn a minimum number of CLE credit hours. While there are a few jurisdictions that don’t have CLE requirements for lawyers, the majority of states oblige lawyers to take a specified number of CLE credits during a reporting time. The jurisdictions that don’t have CLE requirements include South Dakota, Maryland, the District of Columbia, Michigan, and Massachusetts. The number of CLE credits vary by jurisdiction as well.
Some states expect that you earn a CLE credit hour every 60 minutes, while other states allow a CLE credit hour every 50 minutes. The reporting for the CLE is one year, but some states have a reporting period of two or even three years. This means you have that amount of time to complete your CLE hours.
Benefits Of Online CLE Courses
There are many benefits of taking your CLE courses online. For one, you can take them from the comfort of your own home. You don’t have to start your vehicle, wait for it to cool down or warm up, drive through traffic to a specific location, try to find a parking spot, take your test, and drive back home through traffic. Those with children don’t have to worry about finding someone to watch their children while they’re taking the coursework.
Other benefits of online CLE courses include convenience, flexibility, and promoting the development of self-discipline. Your classroom is available anytime you want to study, review assignments, take quizzes, and complete your course. If you need to take a trip, either for vacation or for business, you can access your CLE courses anywhere that you have an internet connection.
How To Save Money By Bundling Online CLE Courses
There are several reasons to choose a course bundle rather than going with individual courses. Bundles are often better because of the enhanced experience provided to the learner due to easier navigation and by preventing choice overload. When there are too many course options at the same price, people have difficulty choosing which course they’ll go with first. Or they might not be able to afford all the courses they need, and choose to take those courses later.
With bundling, all the courses you need are together under one price, which makes it more efficient and less likely that a student will forget a required course. When you find all your courses in one location, you don’t have to search for another provider for what you need.
For example, TRTCLE offers a CLE bundle for lawyers living in Alabama that includes Consequential Ethics Violations, the history, purpose, and future of FISA, and a course on how lawyers can thrive in the midst of change. There is also a live course bundle that lawyers in Alabama need to take, which includes legal ethics of maintenance and repair, video testimony in 2021, current issues in criminal law and procedure, as well as a course on the intuitiveness of legal ethics.
What TRTCLE Offers
TRTCLE offers course bundles tailored to the needs of lawyers everywhere they are required to continue their legal education. They can choose our unlimited online CLE plans, which offers unlimited access to our entire catalog. There are new courses added daily with hundreds of videos at your fingertips. When you’re finished with your course, you can receive your certification within minutes..
Don’t waste your time searching for individual courses for your continued legal education when you can experience the convenience and flexibility offered by bundled courses. TRTCLE provides cross-platform lessons in the form of live lectures and recorded video courses. We’re committed to finding ways to offer streamlined CLE courses for your individual state’s needs.
TRTCLE is dedicated to providing high-quality legal education. As one of the leaders in online continuing legal education, we cover every facet of law practice from medical specialists to active legal professionals.