Please see my post-conference self-portrait above. I am wondering if anyone else who just attended the 57th Annual Meeting in the Cloud can relate?

As I sit to write this post, much later than I had planned (i.e., it was supposed to be done before the meeting) my brain is absolutely FULL! I consider that a good thing, even though it also feels a bit overwhelming. 

As usual, our Annual Meeting provided an absolute treasure trove of practical guidance, and once again we heard from cutting edge thought leaders in legal education. I learned new words like “hyflex programs” and had my mind totally blown by the 3-dimensional “Delta model” introduced in the last plenary as a guide for designing curricula and programs that meet particular needs, with an eye for involving key stakeholders in choosing target outcomes and pedagogical means to meet them. (At least I think that’s what it was about—it was a tough one to absorb on the last day!)

For those who, like me, may still be trying to organize in your headspace all the great content (and also for those who couldn’t or attend or have not yet watched the online replay videos), here’s a recap in the form of my 3 top takeaways:

1. The once change-averse legal profession is now careening along on an unprecedented, upside-down, post-pandemic rollercoaster ride of paradigm-busting, increasingly inclusive (we pray!), foundation-shaking, unpredictable change, hopped up on a combustible cocktail of steroids, antivirals, delta-variant mutating AI applications,  and RedBull (Whew!) —and like it or not, ACLEA folks are truly best positioned to help bring order to all this chaos.

Seriously, folks. I cannot put the hyperbole aside, ‘cuz it all applies. 

I’ve been to at least 14 annual or mid-year meetings over the last 10 years, and there’s always talk of “winds of change” that are coming, and how we need to pivot and get out in front of some new trend in content delivery, or else we’ll get crushed, outflanked, or shunned from the cool kids’ table, etc.

In fact, after our very first ACLEA meeting, in Boston in 2011, after hearing about all the predictions of online and virtual programming becoming “the new normal,” etc., Michael and I looked at each other and wondered whether our facilitated, in person, discussion-oriented approach might make us “dinosaurs” before we even really got started. Thankfully, at that same meeting, we met some of the most amazing people: kindred spirits in the pursuit of accessible, engaging, effective adult education, and largely because of that, we kept coming back.

Thus began our 10 year+ odyssey of “riding the waves of change” with you all--while still trying to keep our feet on the solid, time-tested foundation of sound pedagogy and learning design that ACLEA members collectively have carefully developed over decades.
Over time, we confirmed that there was and always would be a market for live, in person programs. (What a relief!) And thanks to so many of you who have become sponsors, well-being programming co-conspirators, and genuine friends, we learned a whole lot about better ways to do just that.

Enter 2020. (Gulp.) Bye-bye live programs for everybody.

By this point we collectively may have exhausted the supply of descriptive words and images to capture what the last 16 months have been like in our world. I doubt even a cosmic mischief-maker like Loki (from Marvel’s Avengers) could design a set of circumstances more effective to obliterate everything we thought we knew about where, how, and on what various devices lawyers would be doing their work.  Or to set fire to any prior prognostications about what these wholesale changes in technology and how we connect & consume content would mean for CLE programming.

Literally, the ground has shifted under our feet, and never before have we been so locked into “trying-to-build-the-plane-while-flying” mode.

And oh yes—let’s not forget that the Universe chose this very same moment in history to prick our collective conscience regarding the lingering effects of the Civil War, Jim Crow laws, and racial tensions in policing and criminal justice, such that there is a (well-founded) clamor for (long overdue) programming to address (very real) disparities in access to justice for folks from marginalized communities. 

This combination of multiple, “once-in-a-lifetime” history-delineating circumstances all just rendered more valuable and helpful every presentation that we heard and every individual story shared in the SIG meetings and networking sessions.  It was inspiring to hear how ACLEA members around the globe have risen to the challenges of the wackiest, most de-stabilizing, unpredictable era in continuing education.

Having during the pandemic attended several virtual conferences focused on professional development and in house counsel networking, I can say with confidence that ACLEA peeps are some of the very most nimble, adaptive, creative, forward-thinking, and practical educational programmers and marketers that we have encountered, let alone gotten to work with.  Period. Our time-tested commitment to continuous improvement of content delivery methods and our embrace of technology have proven invaluable as courts, firms, and non-profits alike scramble to practice virtually. 

Because we were talking about these kinds of things at ACLEA meetings 10 years ago, folks. Virtual programming isn’t new for us—we’re just having to implement it on an exponentially more massive scale than we ever dreamed.  We are the leaders that our organizations have been looking to in order to make the changes that they have needed to make.

Which leads directly to my next takeaway…

1. We are prime candidates for overwork, overload, and burnout.

About 3 months into the pandemic & lockdown conditions, I heard a very helpful description of what was going on. I can’t recall the source, but the person said essentially, “Let’s be done with describing the current situation as, ‘Oh, I am just working from home now.’”  A more accurate and honest description would be something like this:

“I am trying to get some measure of productive work done,
from my house without most if not all of the tools & resources I’d normally use,
with limited access to the people with whom I would ordinarily collaborate,
in pursuit of a completely different set of goals than I have ever had (and which keeps changing seemingly at random),
while helping my kids get their education from our home,
Sharing limited wi-fi bandwidth and or table space with ___ other people,
All of whom are similarly stressed out and deprived of most of their usual tools for life or school and routines or coping mechanisms for stress,
And all while trying to stay healthy and survive a global pandemic.

And that just covers folks who haven’t lost jobs, or loved ones, or months of time recovering from the disease itself. 

Put simply, all of us are being asked to do more, with less.

And when it comes to programs focused on technological competence and well-being, the demand is higher than ever and the importance of the content has skyrocketed. Our work as CLE professionals is crucial, and compelling, and more than ever, we genuinely care about giving our constituents and stakeholders what they need.

And as you may have heard Michael and I emphasize, each of us, despite being a CLE “rock star,” is also finite. Even in the best of times, we don’t have unlimited energy, creativity, focus, or time. And the competing values and tradeoffs we already had to navigate have only gotten tougher.

So, when we combine the nerve-wracking environment with the frequent disproportionality of resources to desired outcomes and our own dedication to serve our organizations well—we CLE professionals are in serious danger of neglecting our own self-care. 

I know this not only from the stories I’ve exchanged with so many of you in the course of planning virtual programs, but also from my own experience. Folks, I freakin’ speak to lawyers about self-awareness and self-care FOR A LIVING and my biz partner is the delightfully insightful and supportive Michael Kahn, former lawyer-turned counselor. Nevertheless, this past 16 months have contained some of the absolute worst self-care in my career. Lack of sleep, skipping meals, overworking, getting isolated, and over-binging on TV shows & YouTube videos at night, are just a few signs of my own struggle with anxiety and burnout.

And here’s the real trick of it: if I am the one with the problem, I’m not likely to have much luck correcting the slide, paying down the deficits in sleep and nutrition, or crafting a new set of habits & strategies to keep my head on straight. Put simply, any recovery or progress I may have made has required help from colleagues, counselors, friends, and yes, ACLEA peeps.

Hence my last (and briefest, I promise) takeaway.

1. We need one another, now more than ever.

This is not a time to be re-inventing wheels, or overly committed to pushing through with our own original solutions,  Indeed, if ever there was a time to leverage the resources that your ACLEA fam can provide, here it is.  

If you have a particular challenge in:

• Designing your curriculum;
• Planning a program to help your lawyers recover and maintain a measure of sanity amidst the chaos;
• Converting a beloved live conference to a virtual webinar series; or
• Recapturing the audience share that you fear you have lost.

… chances are good that someone else has faced a similar challenge. And the beauty of ACLEA has always been how collaborative and helpful and downright generous everyone has been with one another.

I still remember our first conversations with Sean Carter and Stuart Teicher, again 10 years ago in Boston. To our delight, they engaged with us not as competitors, but collaborators: kind, welcoming, and open handed in sharing resources, ideas and connections. It was such a refreshing change from the “shark-eat-shark” world of litigation I was used to that it drastically altered the trajectory of my career.

So if you haven’t already, lean into your ACLEA colleagues & let them/us help. I won’t say “don’t be a hero”—because I actually want you to be a hero. But the way to do it when the challenges loom large and resources are tight is by providing your org with a spot-on practical solution to one of its many challenges, and won’t drain its resources (including you!) completely dry.

With all that in mind, ReelTime Creative Learning Services would love to help you navigate any of the challenges you are facing. Why not let us take something off your plate, so you can focus your energy on the many other tasks and challenges you face?
For over 13 years, we’ve developed a catalog of engaging, interactive CLE programs that help lawyers experience greater well-being so they can thrive in both their personal and professional lives.

We’ve gotten CLE credit approval for ethics, professionalism, diversity & inclusion/bias training, and mental health/substance abuse awareness in even the most exacting of jurisdictions.

And we’ve not only made the pivot to virtual presentations, but we’ve found ways to combine our movie clips, roundtable discussions with each sponsor’s best volunteer presenters, polling, Q&A, breakout rooms, and to drive measurable, meaningful virtual engagement. 

And as a reward for anyone who has read all the way to the end of this blog post, the first 5 people who click this link can book a free, no obligation, 15 minute brainstorming session over Zoom.

It is truly hard to believe that a year ago, ACLEA had to shift to holding our Annual Meeting in a virtual format for the first time.

As my term comes to a close, I wanted to reflect back on a successful year that was not without many challenges.

We have been fortunate to have been able to host and deliver our 2021 Mid-Year and Annual Meetings in a virtual format successfully with the help of our partnership with CE21. Our Conference Planning Committees for Austin and Minneapolis have worked hard to pivot from initial planning for an in-person conference to a virtual conference, at times on short notice. A lot of work from the teams at Ewald and CE21 helped to make this happen. Please join me in thanking the teams at Ewald and CE21 along with the Austin and Minneapolis Conference Planning Committees for all of their hard work on this. We could not have done this without you.

I am thankful that we have been able to continue to deliver timely and relevant content to our members as we slowly start to return to a new normal.  Hearing from everyone, at our virtual conferences and/or SIG/Committee meetings, we are all faced with the same questions, and it is truly remarkable that we are able to consult with one another for advice and/or best practices for those that have started returning to in-person programming or are in the midst of preparing for a hybrid programming model. ACLEA members are clearly constantly willing to help and share with each other.

The Executive Committee (“EC”) has been instrumental in steering ACLEA through this difficult and challenging time. The EC has made it a priority to kept costs and expenses low, despite some challenges in renegotiating our hotel contracts. We have also been working very closely with our association management company—Ewald—to keep our management fees low by having ACLEA volunteers take on additional responsibilities. A huge thank you to Laurie Krueger and her team at Ewald along with all ACLEA volunteers for their continued involvement and support. 

There are a lot of exciting projects the members of the EC have been working on in recent months and you will be able to see the end results shortly. As a result of feedback we received from Boot Camp attendees and faculty, we have made some changes to the virtual offering of Boot Camp that will be applied with the program at the upcoming Annual Meeting. There will be more opportunities for attendees to meet each other and additional time has been added to the schedule to allow for the popular “Hot Topics” discussions. 

In addition, at the upcoming 2022 Austin Mid-Year Meeting, we will be launching the first ever Flight School Boot Camp for those CLE professionals who are looking to advance their career in CLE/CPD. More details will be released shortly. The topics are extremely valuable, while the speakers are extremely experienced in the CLE/CPD world. Watch for more details to be released shortly.

Finally, ACLEAs 57th Annual 2021 Meeting is coming up in a few weeks time and I look forward to seeing everyone virtually. The full conference schedule can be found here. Please join us as we are Doubling Down on Innovation, Leadership, and Inclusion.

We have learned a lot in this pandemic and been through a lot, together as an association. I am truly grateful to the EC and our Executive Director, Laurie Krueger and her team at Ewald, for all of their hard work, dedication, and support as we worked through a difficult year. They definitely made my job easier. It has been a privilege to lead ACLEA through this challenging time. I am also truly grateful to all of you for your support as ACLEA members. Thank you! 

Be well, stay safe.

Alexandra

Many people have a natural fear of vicious dogs with their teeth out, skunks with their tails up, and teenage drivers with their heads down texting while driving ninety miles per hour. The Vendors and Speakers SIG is none of the above.  We don’t bite, we don’t smell, and unlike your teenage children, we are committed to being on time. As a matter of fact, we are some of the friendliest  people around. A group favorite at virtual Vancouver was the virtual reception where we got to “speed date” with other ACLEA members we had never met before. One of the most valuable parts of any ACLEA conference is the opportunity for us to get to know you and for you to get to know us.

Members of our SIG do more than just support ACLEA through sponsorship fees and exhibitor fees, we participate in leadership and committees that help us keep innovating and finding creative ways to meet the many challenges inherent in providing CLE in the jurisdictions from which ACLEA members hail. ACLEA is a place we come to not just share tips, tricks, and pain points with each other, but also where we come to keep our finger on the pulse of CLE world so we can bring our best to the people we serve.

Some of us have been members of ACLEA for decades, and one is a former CLE director of a bar association. Professional speakers have done thousands of presentations and have spent thousands of hours making their presentations informative, engaging, and memorable. We bring enthusiasm to our craft and love to share our knowledge with your attorneys to improve their practice and make it more profitable. Further, many professional speakers are experienced in presenting via webinar. In the current climate, the required emphasis on virtual presentations presents a fantastic opportunity to “test drive” a professional speaker. Presenting virtually removes travel costs from the equation, so speakers from all around the country are now much more accessible to your organization. And many professional speakers are even willing to enter profit sharing agreements, which allows bar associations to mitigate against any fear of losing money taking a chance on paying a professional.

Similarly, vendors provide essential services that help improve the operations of your continuing education. They provide a host of technological time saving and revenue increasing tools, including virtual event management, CLE/CPD tracking, mobile access, professional development and CLE content, and marketing and attendance tracking. Many have developed tech solutions and other resources to remove the administrative and logistical headaches that member organizations encounter in delivering high quality programming and publications to a high quantity of people who are consuming content by an ever-increasing myriad of means and methods.

It’s no secret that this year was a little different than last, and we really missed being able to interact, share, and learn from other ACLEA members in the way we are used to. Finding a “new normal” means getting creative, trying new ways of connecting, communicating, and building relationships. One new way we’re trying, is showcasing the range of talent of our SIG members (so you can get to know us a little better). In this post you’ll find a brief description of how each of us help our friends in CLE programming, marketing, and promotions do their jobs more easily.  So reach out. Start a conversation (we’d love to get to know you a little better!).

Sincerely,
Your ACLEA Vendors & Speakers SIG

Philip Bogdanoff, Interactive Presentations, “Where attorneys get engaged”
Thirty-eight years' experience as an attorney and presenter.  Over 200 presentations for bar associations and law enforcement.  Phil has creative presentations on ethics, appellate practice, police use of deadly force, and the Tiger King trial.  Webinars are available on a revenue share basis.  http://philipbogdanoff.com/index.html

Mary DeSpain, Destination CLEs
Destination CLEs*, provides high-quality legal expertise, camaraderie, and resources in beautiful locations around the globe. Give your members the opportunity to attend a destination CLE and earn revenue for your organization. No cost to you! *Enjoying The Now Travel-Cruise Planners* guides you through the process of providing your own destination programs with options that allow your representative to attend at no cost.

Margaret Spencer Dixon, Spencer Consulting, Time Management for Lawyers

An ACLEA member since 1997, lawyer/consultant Meg Dixon has presented over 400 customized programs on time management, project management, and stress management for law firms, CLE providers, government agencies, and law schools. Most recent webinar: Overcoming Pandemic Procrastination.www.TimeManagementForLawyers.com

Angel Duncan, CLE Specialist,  viGlobal Legal Talent Management Software
95% of the AmLaw 100 are viGlobal clients. Our software provides firms with a full management suite to manage their own customizable “one stop” LMS firmwide as well as track CLE/CPD requirements for US and International attorneys. For over 20 years we have offered modules for firm management such as; Recruiting, Evaluations, Retention, and much more. https://www.viglobal.com/

Lawren Finley, Profiscience
The makers of UniversitySite, the preferred LMS for law firms around the world. Our latest product release is CLESite. CLESite includes everything needed to track CLE Compliance, including: CLE rule summaries, United States compliance rule reminders, managing events and automated reporting. Learn more about our product offerings here: www.profiscience.com

Rick Horowitz, Wordsmith in Chief, Prime Prose LLC (rick@primeprose.com)
“The best online learning experience I’ve ever had.”
“Made the experience feel like we were in a live classroom setting.”
“Rick was fabulous! He was clear, concise, and entertaining. Who knew that this ‘More Effective Writing’ class would be both effective and enjoyable?”

Michael Kahn and Chris Osborn, ReelTime CLE
ReelTime Creating Learning Experiences helps law firms, in house legal departments, and bar associations around the U.S., Canada, and Australia provide engaging live and virtual CLE and professional development programs designed to improve lawyer well-being, reduce malpractice risk, and foster a healthier corporate culture. Many of our programs are based on original films. We love working with PD professionals and CLE planners to offer lawyers and staff programs they’ll love, with content they need most, and that equip them for greater productivity & fulfillment in their practices and lives.  https://reeltimecle.com

Trish Mongeon, ezCPD.ca, Engaging Online CPD for Legal Professionals

Since 2014, ezCPD.ca has provided Canadian legal professionals with a broad range of online programs (live and recorded) to meet your continuing professional development needs. Ethics, practice management, EDI, and all areas of practice.

Sara Robertson – Lime Horse
LimeHorse's mission is to bring CPD into the 21st century leveraging technology and human centered topics to give lawyers the skills they need as law enters the digital age.  We use mindfulness, emotional intelligence, neuroscience, and organizational development tools to tackle important topics like stress, bias, communication, and performance. Our technology driven programs provide flexible learning to fit any schedule and help lawyers meet their professional development needs "on the go."  Learn more at www.limehorse.com

Mark Rosch, President and Carole Levitt, Esq., Vice-President, CLEwebinars.com, a division of Internet For Lawyers, Inc.
We recruit speakers, record and edit their webinars, and create marketing descriptions, graphics, and a customized webinar catalog for you so your members can view live and on-demand webinars by national speakers. There is no cost to join our network. Instead, we share royalties with you.  In addition to providing fully produced webinars by national speakers for you, CLEwebinars.com also manages all aspects of event management. We take payments, send confirmation emails, reminder emails, and CLE certificates, all customized and branded for your organization. mrosch@clewebinars.com clevitt@clewebinars.com

Cynthia Sharp - The Sharper Lawyer
Veteran Attorney Cynthia Sharp works with motivated lawyers seeking to build sustainable law practices. After building and selling her boutique firm which she ran for close to 30 years, she embarked on a professional speaking and consulting career.  For the past 10 years, she has dedicated herself to sharing practice building strategies and processes with solo and small firm attorneys throughout North America. In recognition of her contributions to the profession, the ABA GPSolo Division named her Trainer of the Year. cindy@thesharperlawyer.com

Anna Marie Thatcher,  PERIAKTOS PRODUCTIONS, LLC®
Formed in 1994, the company provides movies that are produced specifically for CLE programs in ethics.  For information on titles and availability of movies (with optional filmed discussions) to create “live” webcasts and CLE Video on Demand, contact Anna Marie Thatcher J.D., 605-787-7099, productions@periaktos.com.

Paul Unger, Partner, Affinity
Paul is a national speaker, author, and thought leader in the legal technology industry.  He is the author of dozens of legal technology manuals and publications, including Tame the Digital Chaos - Time, Task, Email & Distraction Management (2020) and PowerPoint in an Hour for Lawyers (2014). He is a frequent speaker on time management, document management, paperless office, and cybersecurity. punger@affinityconsulting.com.

Elections will be conducted for the Executive Committee officer positions of President Elect, Treasurer, and Secretary. There will also be elections for three (3) Director positions.

As an ACLEA member in good standing, you may nominate yourself for a Director position by notifying the Secretary of your intent to run. To be eligible, your membership dues must be current at the time of nomination. Terms are two years and will begin July 28, 2021 following the Annual business meeting which will be held virtually.

Please send your notice of intent to run, a brief biography, and photo for inclusion on the ballot to the ACLEA office no later than midnight CDT, (UTC-5) Saturday, June 12, 2021.

>> Submit Intent to Run

It is the sole responsibility of the member filing a self-nomination to assure its receipt.

ACLEA is an organization that is strong on volunteerism. Our members continuously donate their time and expertise to support the organization’s goals and strategies. With the support and contributions from ACLEA volunteers, the Executive Committee (EC) has been able to complete several projects, while others are in progress.

Despite the numerous obstacles ACLEA has encountered during the global pandemic, the EC has managed to accomplish a lot in moving the association forward. I wanted to take the time to share some of our accomplishments with you.

I am pleased to advise that the EC has approved the budget for 2021-2022.  It is a conservative budget that takes into account the current economic conditions. ACLEA is in a sound financial position to get through the pandemic.

ACLEA continues to have a very strong relationship with Ewald Consulting, our association management company, and I am pleased to advise that this partnership has been renewed through April 2024. The EC held discussions with a dedicated task force and volunteers that helped ACLEA to reach this 3-year renewal agreement.  On behalf of all ACLEA members, I would like to take this opportunity to thank the entire Ewald team for their hard work and dedication that ensures all aspects of ACLEA are running smoothly.  We look forward to continuing our partnership.

The EC continues to work hard to reduce expenses for ACLEA and to that end, we have worked closely with Ewald on our management agreement’s scope of work. To reduce expenses, several tasks previously managed by Ewald are now being managed by EC members and ACLEA volunteers.  These changes are being closely monitored by the EC and adjustments will be made if required. The level of service members are used to receiving remains unchanged.

CE21 is our learning management system (LMS) provider. Our continued partnership with CE21 has given us the ability to deliver virtual conferences through our existing LMS. We are happy to continue our work with them and thank them for their continued support of ACLEA. Be sure to check out ACLEA’s LMS where you will find an archive of on-demand past programs.

The EC and a dedicated task force have been reviewing feedback from several Boot Camp sessions over the past few years. While the Boot Camp program has traditionally been held in-person, with the pandemic, the program was converted into a virtual delivery format. Exciting changes are coming to the virtual-format program based on feedback from attendees and faculty. To highlight some of the proposed changes, the virtual program will now have a slightly earlier start time and the popular Hot Topics sessions will return to the program agenda.

The EC is also working on an Executive Leadership Boot Camp program for CLE professionals looking to advance their careers. Watch for more details on this exciting new program that will launch at the 2022 Mid-Year Meeting.

The progress made on EC projects is due in part to ACLEA volunteers who have contributed their time, expertise, and support. On behalf of the EC, I would like to express our deepest appreciation to all ACLEA volunteers who have contributed to our successes with their dedication and commitment — we could not have done it without you.

Our SIG/Committee Chairs are working extremely hard to keep everyone connected through monthly meetings and listserv posts in between conferences.  This is extremely valuable while we are not able to meet in person. A huge thank you goes out to our SIG/Committee Chairs as well.

Whether you are a seasoned or a new ACLEA member, I encourage you to get involved — meet new people, learn new things. For more information, visit the “Getting Involved” page on ACLEA’s website.

This is your organization! I am sure you will find it to be a very rewarding experience as you will get to meet new people and learn more about the organization all at the same time.

Keep safe and be well everyone.