As first deadline nears, CLE providers step up
April 27, 2008
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Under the MCLE rules, at least four of the hours required for any two-year period must deal with professional responsibility, which can include professionalism, diversity, mental illness or addiction issues, civility, or legal ethics.
James J. Grogan, deputy administrator of the Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission, said the commission plans to present more large-forum professional responsibility CLE programs. He stressed that all of the CLE programs presented by the ARDC are available at no charge to the bar members.
Last year, ARDC staff attorneys presented more than 130 CLE events, Grogan said.
”This year, we’re on a pace to greatly exceed that,” he said. ”We’ve always had a healthy number of CLE requests over the years, but now we’re talking about huge audiences.”
But lawyers don’t need to focus on professional responsibility courses to fulfill that MCLE requirement. Grogan pointed out that many providers include a professional responsibility component in concert with a course on a particular area of law.
He offered this advice to lawyers in search of MCLE options: ”Just try to get some block of time and compare the providers, and look for what might interest you,” he said. ”Look for something you could enjoy and learn, and see if there’s an ethics component.”
The demand for more CLE options covering professional responsibility issues is one of the changes that have come with MCLE in Illinois, providers said.
IICLE’s Rahn said about half of the institute’s regular programs provide some ethics component for MCLE credit. But one particular program designed to cover an attorney’s entire four-hour professional responsibility requirement in one sitting has received an overwhelming response since its debut last September, he said.
Rahn said the institute has sold more than 2,000 registrations for ”Professional Responsibility at the Movies,” which features clips from movies as examples of ”lawyers behaving badly,” interspersed with a discussion on legal ethics responsibilities. He said the program will be offered monthly in Chicago and in collar and downstate locations through June.
”That’s the type of program we simply would not have been able to offer before. Ethics programs were simply non-sellers in a non-mandatory environment,” Rahn said. ”That’s proven very popular.”
By May 1, Johnson said, officials with the MCLE Board expect to mail notices to lawyers whose last names begin with the letters A through M, asking them to indicate whether they have complied with the MCLE rules, have not complied with the rules, or are exempt from the rules.
While those attorneys have until June 30 to earn their credits, they have until July 31 to report their compliance.
”We’re encouraging every lawyer to keep your address up-to-date with the ARDC,” Johnson said. ”The rule also says failure to receive the notice is not failure to report. If attorneys don’t receive it by the first of June, they should check our web site for more information.”
For more information on MCLE requirements, as well as listings of accredited providers and courses, visit the MCLE Board’s Web site.
Well written article, but why no mention of outside and online CLE providers not located in Illinois that have recently been accredited there to accommodate Illinois attorneys.