Little Known Facts About CLE and On-Line CLE Courses
Local Bar Associations tend to act as gatekeepers for CLE credits, offering many opportunities for their members and giving free information about accreditation. But, here are things about CLE credits that they will not likely tell their members.
Did you know:
- Most States will grant reciprocity for CLE. So, for example, even if you're an attorney in, Phoenix, AZ, you could take a course in Los Angeles, California and get credit in your home State. This opens up your options when shopping for the best prices. Local Bar Associations have no incentive to tell you this. They want you to take their local-affiliated courses.
- In all but the State of New York, CLE courses do not have to be delivered by an attorney. Many fully certified CLE providers are not attorneys who charge far lower fees, but your local Bar Association will not promote them because the facilitators are not members.
- That in most states you can carry CLE credit over for two years. In other words, if you have a surplus for this year you can assign the overage to next year's requirements. Bar Associations will rarely inform members of this, hoping you attend their CLE events well in excess of your requirements.
- Most Bar Associations don't like On-Line CLE courses because it takes business away from them. If they recommend a particular site, it's usually one they own or control. However, they will not give you the pointers to help protect you from on-line CLE malfeasance. (For more on this click here.)
- It costs your local Bar Association $0 to issue credits yet they will often charge $100 or more per credit. Ask your local Bar Association how you can become a CLE provider and they will often imply a rigorous application process that justifies the fees they are charging. In reality, the fees in most states to have a course CLE certified are about $100 a year.