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

December 18, 2018
1:00pm EST/12:00pm CST/11:00am MST/10:00am PST

>> Reserve Your Seat!

One of the biggest challenges when dealing with the accreditation of continuing legal education programming is keeping up with rules and regulations. How do you know when there has been a change in a jurisdiction’s rules? When do they go into effect? And most importantly, how do they affect you as a provider or the attendees of your programs?

The Office of Attorney Regulation Counsel, Colorado Supreme Court and the Association for Continuing Legal Education (ACLEA) is hosting the first “MCLE Virtual Provider Conference” to discuss recent changes to the Colorado MCLE rules and regulations and their impact on providers of Colorado-accredited programs.

Join Gina Roers-Liemandt, American Bar Association’s Director of MCLE, as she interviews Dawn McKnight, Colorado Deputy Regulation Counsel. This is your chance to:

• Meet the Colorado CLE staff.

• Learn about the new CLE rules and regulations that went into effect July 1, 2018, as well as recent updates to the regulations and how they affect you as a provider, including:
  • A general overview of accreditable and non-accreditable topics;
  • The definition of legal ethics and practical considerations for program planning for ethics credits;
  • Process for program accreditation, reconsideration, and appeals;
  • CLE credit calculations for your faculty and authors;
  • Two-tiered sponsor levels;
  • Comity and reciprocity– what lies ahead;
  • The difference between “independent study” and attorney self-submissions; and
  • Office technology update – future plans.

• Participate in a live Q&A with the Colorado CLE Staff.

This COMPLIMENTARY webinar will be held on December 18, 2018 at 1:00pm eastern/12:00pm central/11:00am mountain/10:00am pacific. Note that ACLEA membership is not required for participation; this program is open to all CLE program providers.

>> Learn more and register today!