Continuing Legal
Education (CLE)
As any attorney knows, Continuing Legal Education courses are required in
many states, including New York, for an attorney to maintain the ability to
practice law after passing a bar exam. New York’s rules can be viewed at www.courts.state.ny.us/attorneys/cle.While there is no
shortage of companies and organizations offering CLEs, it can be difficult to
find low-cost or free classes, particularly those geared towards public
interest, non-profit, or pro bono work.
- One thing to keep in mind is that New York and several other states now
accept pro-bono work for CLE credit. The New York State CLE Board rules require
that providers offer financial assistance based on financial hardship. Look for
the scholarship policy of providers whose courses you are considering. Under the
CLE rules, the CLE Board defines pro bono as “uncompensated legal
services within the State, for clients unable to afford counsel.” The program
must be accredited by the CLE Board or be done as a court assignment. Under this
new rule, passed January 1, 2000, 6 hours of accredited pro bono work
equals 1 CLE credit, not to exceed 6 credits every 2 years. More information
and details of this ruling in New York can be found on Pro Bono New York State Bar Association Web site. This web site also
hosts a newsletter and a guide that may be a helpful resource to attorneys.
- The New York State Continuing Legal Education Board has a listing of Pro Bono CLE Providers as of Aug. 28, 2007 in PDF format
available for download. The board also features a helpful list of pro
bono CLE FAQs and a Regulations and Guidelines section.
- Information for other states can be found at the Center for
Pro Bono of the American Bar Association Web site
- The American Bar
Association also offers some free online CLE courses of interest to public
service and public interest practitioners, available in formats that include MP3
downloads. There is a range of course offerings for ABA members. Check your
state requirements to be sure these courses will be accepted for credit.
Community Legal Resource Network (CLRN)
Membership
If you are in solo or small firm practice, or are thinking
of this type of practice as a career option, contact CUNY Law Alums Fred Rooney (’86) or at Lisa Reiner (’90) at CUNY Law about the Community Legal Resource Network (CLRN). Fred is the
Director of CLRN and Lisa, the Associate Director.
You can become a
member of CLRN free-of-charge, share your experience and learn from the hundreds
of other CLRN members who participate in this nationally recognized network of
community-based lawyers who, in the spirit of CUNY Law, collaborate with each
other in their quest to increase access to justice.
CLRN members are
encouraged to participate in the active listserv and Practice Groups
(Immigration, Labor and Employment, Family Law) and to engage in community
service opportunities. They also are eligible to participate in low-cost CLE
courses designed to enhance the quality and viability of solo and small firm
practice.
Upcoming CLE Seminars
The New York Small Business Development Center and CUNY School of Law's Community Legal Resource Network (CLRN) Present:
"Business Nuts & Bolts of Starting A Law Practice"
25 West 43rd Street - Suite 1000 (10th floor)
Btwn. 5th & 6th Avenue
New York, New York 10036
212-869-0182
Presenter: Joyce Moy, City University of New York
Session I: Saturday, October 3, 2009 - 9:30am to 1:30pm
Session II : Saturday, October 10, 2009 - 9:30am to 1:30pm
Participants are required to attend both sessions.
$25 per session, 4 CLE Law Practice Management credits will be available per session.
This traditional/transitional course has been approved in accordance with the requirements of the NY State Continuing Legal Education Board for maximum of 4.0 credit hour, which can be applied to the Law Practice Management. Under Continuing Legal Education regulations, CLE credit will be offered only to those attorneys completing entire sessions; attorneys attending only part of a session are not eligible for partial credit for a session.
Attorneys arriving late are welcomed to attend the program but will not be eligible for CLE credit. Attorneys wishing to receive CLE credit must sign in the program's attendance register prior to and following the CLE program; once a speaker begins the program, the sign-in sheets will be removed. Similarly, attorneys leaving the session early are also ineligible for CLE credit.
A fee waiver for economic hardship is available upon written request to Angela Perez. Please RSVP to Angela Perez by September 25, 2009.
CUNY School of Law's Community Legal Resource Network (CLRN) Presents:
Becoming a More Effective Lawyer: Mindfulness Meditation Practice and Law Practice
Friday, November 13, 2009
9:00am - 5:00pm
New York Insight Meditation Center
28 West 27th Street, 10th floor
New York, NY
Cost: $195; CUNY Law graduates and students, and public interest lawyers: ($45)
4.5 CLE Credits, including 3.5 Ethics and 1 Law Practice Management
This program will introduce lawyers to the practice of mindfulness meditation and its usefulness in the practice of law. Issues to be addressed will include:
- stress management
- contemplative listening
- how to work effectively with difficult colleagues, opposing counsel, and judges
- dealing with law firm and organizational politics
- emotional intelligence, including how to handle being a perfectionist or working with perfectionists
- conflict resolution; negotiating strategies
- the pursuit of happiness by lawyers
You will experience first-hand how mindfulness meditation can help you decrease stress and improve your focus and performance, and join other lawyers, judges, law students and law faculty around the country who utilize mindfulness meditation practice as an innovative tool. The program will include meditation instruction, periods of meditation, presentations, interactive exercises, and open discussion.
Presenter: Robert Chender, Esq. Robert Chender is the director of the NY City Bar Association Contemplative Lawyers Group and is counsel at Seward & Kissel. He has been teaching mindfulness meditation to groups in the U.S. and abroad for over 30 years, most recently specializing in teaching contemplative practices to attorneys. He is a former board chair of the Shambhala Meditation Center of New York.
A fee waiver for economic hardship is available upon written request to Angela Perez. Please RSVP to Angela Perez by November 5, 2009.
This traditional/transitional course has been approved in accordance with the requirements of the NY State Continuing Legal Education Board for maximum of 4.5 credit hour, which can be applied to the Law Practice Management/ Ethics requirements. Under Continuing Legal Education regulations, CLE credit will be offered only to those attorneys completing entire sessions; attorneys attending only part of a session are not eligible for partial credit for a session. Attorneys arriving late are welcomed to attend the program but will not be eligible for CLE credit. Attorneys wishing to receive CLE credit must sign in the program’s attendance register prior to and following the CLE program; once a speaker begins the program, the sign-in sheets will be removed. Similarly, attorneys leaving the session early are also ineligible for CLE credit.
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