As I write this column, registration has just opened for ACLEA’s 57th Annual Meeting. Although we had hoped we would be able to meet in-person in Minneapolis, the stars are not aligned.  Many members have gotten their first dose, if not both, of the COVID-19 vaccine, while others are still waiting for theirs. In addition, we are all concerned about the risks of traveling. The health and well-being of members, speakers, and staff is the Executive Committee’s top priority in deciding to move the Annual Meeting to a virtual format.

ACLEA’s 57th Annual Meeting

The Minneapolis Conference Planning Committee, led by co-chairs Barron Henley and Elissa Meyer, have put together a fabulous lineup of speakers and content. The 57th Annual Meeting will once again be hosted on CE21’s LMS platform. A huge thank you to both the Planning Committee and our Platinum Sponsor CE21, along with the team at Ewald, for all their hard work in pulling this together. 

The Annual Meeting will take place over several days with Boot Camp scheduled for Friday, July 23, and the virtual conference scheduled for Tuesday, July 27, and Wednesday, July 28.

In reviewing the schedule, a few of the plenary sessions feature popular speakers from past ACLEA conferences, including Frank Wu, who will be presenting “The Responsibility of Lawyers to Help Build Bridges During Divided Times.”   I am also looking forward to several relevant breakout sessions, including Zoom Academy, Managing Staff While Working Remotely, The Future of Live Events (as of Mid-2021), and Awareness & Accommodation: Rethinking Accessibility for your entire CLE Audience. The detailed agenda can be accessed here.

Sponsor opportunities are available for the entire conference and more details can be found here. Our Exhibitor/Sponsor Committee will be starting their outreach shortly.

For organizational members, we are pleased to offer the ACLEA member rate for your non-member staff so that they can affordably attend the upcoming virtual conference. To take advantage of this special offer, please contact ACLEA’s Executive Director Laurie Krueger for further information.

We recognize that some of us are faced with financial hardships—more so during this pandemic—and wanted to let you know that scholarship opportunities are available to attend the 57th Annual Meeting. Click here for more information on applying for a scholarship.

ACLEA’s Best Awards

On another note, the deadline for submissions to the ACLEA’s Best Awards is coming up on May 17, 2021. Nadia Myerthall and Molly Scott, Co-Chairs of the Awards Committee, have worked extremely hard in putting together the submission system and the various members of the subcommittees are eagerly awaiting this year’s submission for review. There are several award categories that submissions can be made to, including Programming, Marketing, Publications, Public Interest, and Technology. I encourage everyone to consider any programs/projects you have worked on in the past year for submission. It is a terrific opportunity to be recognized for your hard work and innovation. The awards presentation will be held during the Business Meeting at the 57th Annual Meeting.

SIG/Committee Chair Opportunities

If you are looking to get more involved in ACLEA, there are SIG/Committee chair opportunities available for 2021/2022. If you are interested in those roles, please get in touch with the current chairs for further information. SIG/Committee chair information can be accessed here.

Upcoming Webinars

Looking for professional development opportunities ahead of our next virtual conference? Join Daniel Becker, Angelica Cesario, and Virginia Izaguirre at our upcoming webinar “Dealing With Controversial Topics:  A Program Planner’s Perspective” on Thursday, May 20, 2021. Click here to register.  In July, there will be session with Megan Moore and Amy McFadden on “Lessons in Shared Leadership.” In addition, there will be an MCLE Update session with Gina Roers-Liemandt. More details on both of these webinars will be available shortly.

I hope that everyone continues to keep safe and well, and I look forward to seeing everyone at the Annual Meeting in July.

Alexandra

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.