At the Mid-Year meeting in Nashville, ACLEA recognized the contributions of two well-known, highly respected members, Pat Nester and Larry Center.

Pat was presented with the inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award and Larry was presented with the President’s Award to recognize their contributions to CLE and the association over the years.

When asked to describe Pat and his contributions to the CLE profession, Larry provided me with the following,

“Pat has been a friend and mentor to so many of us within the CLE profession for more than 30 years.  He is respected, admired and, dare I say it, beloved, by dozens of us who have been fortunate enough to come under his influence.  He has both a pioneer and an innovator in continuing legal education. His leadership style is unmatched. His thoughtfulness is remarkable. His insight and wisdom have driven our profession. His passion and compassion continue to be the foundation of his decisions. We are all so lucky to have had Pat in our lives.”

Pat provided me with the following when asked the same question:

“Larry was probably the most frequent speaker at ACLEA programs over the last twenty years and deservedly so. His frequent focus was on the personal traits that CLE professionals need to lead and succeed. I think all of us experienced CLE folks think of Larry as the moral leader of ACLEA with the courage to see the underlying problems that we confront and to ask how we can change ourselves to deal with them. When you think about it, that’s what good education is all about, and Larry gave us--and me--a great model to emulate. Plus, putting aside CLE and ACLEA, Larry is just an excellent human being, and we are all privileged to know him.”

Thank you Pat and Larry for all that you've done and continue to do for CLE and ACLEA. 

Hello ACLEA!

Our CLE colleagues in Florida look to be the first jurisdiction required to navigate compulsory tech programming as part of mandatory CLE.  As described in the article below, Florida attorneys must complete 33 hours of CLE over a three-year period, of which three (3) hours must be an approved technology program. 

As an ACLEA member for the past 5 years,  I have been impressed by the significant effort that ACLEA has made to emphasize the importance of technology in our programs and publications for attorneys, as well as in running our own organizations effectively.  The Seattle conference, for example, included a plenary on The Future of Productivity, a deep drive on Reimagining Learning with Microsoft OneNote and Sway, and the famous tech tips and tricks session which focused on the iPad for CLE Professionals.  The upcoming Nashville conference will also walk the technology line with session on Redefining Technology Competence in a 21^st Century Law Practice, Website and Search Engine Optimization, and PDF, Word, and Automation – How to Build an Effective Electronic Forms Strategy.

With regulators now joining the movement to incorporate technology into CLE,  we can expect technology and innovation to continue to be in the forefront of ACLEA programing.  Please share your experiences below.

https://bol.bna.com/florida-is-first-state-to-require-technology-cles/