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Legal Community
Mandatory Continuing Legal
Education
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Applying for CLE Credit
Frequently Asked Questions
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 How do I become a Regulation 5 accredited sponsor? |
You must apply to the Board of Continuing Legal Education, 2418 Airport Road, Suite 2, Barre, VT 05641 stating your legal education history for the preceding two calendar years. Include dates, subjects offered, total hours of instructions presented, and the names and qualifications of speakers.
| | How do I determine if a CLE course is accredited? |
Courses by the Regulation 5 providers are pre-approved. If the course you want to take is not on that list, email the Director at to find out if the course has been accredited.
| | What is the benefit to becoming a Regulation 5 accredited sponsor? |
Once granted accredited sponsor status, it is exempt from the requirement for prior approval for all courses or activities, except the professionalism requirement, in compliance with the standards for approval inRegulation 3.
| | What is the procedure for having a course or program accredited? |
Fill out theapplication and return with an agenda, a table of contents or equivalent, and faculty names and credentials (if not in brochure or description), and the relevancy to the law. We will then determine how many hours will be approved and notify you of that determination. There is no fee as long as the request is made within 30 days of the activity. Please allow 2 weeks for processing.
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Professionalism and Ethics
Frequently Asked Questions
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| How do I apply for preapproval of a professionalism course? |
Submit your request in writing or by email at least two weeks before the proposed CLE activity to JUD-AttyLicensing@state.vt.us or 2418 Airport Road, Suite 2, Barre, VT 05641. Include information on who the moderator will be, demonstrate a clear understanding of the difference between professionalism and ethics, provide scenarios or discussion topics which will generate the required interactivity, and include who the audience will be. Provide as much detail as possible.
| | What is the new professionalism requirement? |
As of August 18, 2008, two hours of professionalism credit has been added to attorney's continuing legal education requirement. Courses meeting the professionalism requirement must be preapproved by the Board of Continuing Legal Education and must be live, face to face and participatory and may not be self-study. Courses that have been approved for professionalism credit are available at http://www.vermontjudiciary.org/LC/d-BBELibrary/Professionalism_40709.pdf
Professionalism is the higher standard to which all lawyers should aspire. It embodies tenets such as honesty, civility, integrity, character, physical and emotional fitness, fairness, competence, ethical conduct, public service and respect for the rule of law, the courts, clients, other lawyers, witnesses, and unrepresented parties. The goal of the requirement is to create a forum in which lawyers, judges and legal educators can explore and reflect upon the meaning and goals of professionalism in contemporary legal practice. Building a community among the lawyers of this state is a specific goal of this requirement. The professionalism requirement is intended to protect, enhance and promote knowledge, confidence, and respect for the justice system by promoting the health, competence, and integrity of attorneys engaged in the practice of law.
| | What qualifies as ethics credit? |
Section 3 of the Rules for Mandatory Continuing Legal Education requires that at least two of the twenty hours required during each reporting period be specifically addressed to legal ethics.
Courses will be granted ethics credits if they focus on a discussion of the Rules of Professional Conduct and other disciplinary rules, and not be courses with a primary focus on other topics, parts of which may touch upon matters of professional conduct.
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Reporting CLE
Frequently Asked Questions
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| Do active attorneys who change to inactive status need to file a CLE affidavit? |
Yes. Continuing legal education needs to be taken by attorneys during the period they are active. If the CLE has not been completed at the time the attorney changes to inactive status, they are placed on Special Waiver status and will need to complete those 20 hours of CLE before they can be reinstated. This is in addition to the 20 hours required of those who have been inactive for more than 3 years. See section 8 of theRules for MCLE.
| | Do inactive attorneys need to take continuing legal education? |
Inactive attorneys are relieved from the CLE requirements during their inactive period. See section 8 of the Rules for MCLE.
| | How can I determine whether a CLE activity is considered live or self-study? |
If an activity is offered in real time with the opportunity and capability to interact with the presenter and others participating in the activity, then it is considered live. For example, renting videotapes for personal viewing at your convenience is considered self-study. An on-line course that you can do in stages and at your convenience is considered self-study. A live webcast with the opportunity to email in questions to the presenter and view questions posed by others participating in the webcast is considered live.
| | How many CLE credit hours do I need? |
At least 20 hours within your two year reporting period, a minimum of 2 which must be in ethics, a minimum of 2 which must be preapproved professionalism credit and limited to 10 hours of self-study. For the CLE Rules and Regulations, visit the CLE Webpage.
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Fees
| Title | Cost | Checks Payable to |
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| Make Up Plan | 50.00 | Continuing Legal Education | | Out of Time Request | 50.00 | Continuing Legal Education | | Suspension Fee | 100.00 | Continuing Legal Education |
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Contact Information
2418 Airport Rd, Ste 2
Barre, VT 05641
Phone: 802-828-3281
Fax: 802-828-1695
Martha I. Hicks-Robinson, Director
jud-attylicensing@state.vt.us
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MCLE Board Members
| Hon. Karen Carroll, Chair | | Kimberly Butler, Esq., Vice Chair | | J. Scott Cameron, Esq. | | James Dingley, Esq. | | Anthony B. Lamb, Esq | | Stanley Shernock, Ph.D | | Corinne P. Wadhams, Esq. |
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