The Basics of CLE in New York

For legal professionals in New York, Continuing Legal Education (CLE) is an essential aspect of the profession. CLE programs cover various practice areas, providing valuable knowledge and expertise for attorneys looking to enhance their skills and stay current with the latest legal trends. In New York, CLE courses are structured to ensure that attorneys remain competent in their respective fields throughout their careers.
New York State has mandatory CLE requirements to ensure that practicing attorneys maintain their competency in the field. All New York attorneys must complete a minimum of 24 credit hours every two years, 4 of which must be in ethics or professional responsibility . Additionally, at least 1 of the remaining 20 credit hours must focus on skills. Newly admitted attorneys has different requirements. This structure is designed to ensure that all attorneys in the state engage in ongoing professional development and adhere to the highest standards of the legal profession.
Reducing the amount of time spent on CLE can help both attorneys and law firms alike. For an attorney, this means focusing on the most relevant skills for their practice area; for a law firm, this means focusing on the most relevant courses to maximize training budgets. While there may be no way to completely eliminate this task, they can reduce time by a particular type of course somewhere to acquire certain skills effectively.

Selecting CLE Courses for Your Legal Practice

When selecting the right New York Continuing Legal Education course, attorneys should first consider their area of practice. Many New York CLE providers are accredited in a variety of practice areas and can provide attorneys with a more tailored selection of classes that suit a particular specialization.
Attorneys should also take time to research the New York CLE provider. The reputation and qualifications of the provider is important. Experienced and reputable New York CLE providers will be able to guarantee quality continuing education content from qualified faculty who are experts in the field.
Another factor to consider when deciding on New York CLE courses is cost. Course fees aren’t the only thing that should be considered when it comes to course expenses. When selecting courses, attorneys should also take into consideration the cost benefits of distance learning such as online CLE courses. Online CLE courses tend to be more cost-effective and may allow for interactive elements of classroom courses at a much lower cost.

Online vs. In-Person CLE Courses

When it comes to earning MCLE credit in New York, lawyers are faced with a decision between completing their courses in person or online. Both options offer their own set of advantages and challenges, and the best choice for any given lawyer depends on their individual learning style and schedule.
One of the most obvious advantages of online CLE is convenience. Courses can be completed at any time and from anywhere, and there’s less incentive to simply doze off. You can easily hit the books when you’ve got a few spare moments; you can read a course outline when waiting for a court hearing or print off a video description of a relevant seminar to bring with you to a networking event. If you have established an online law practice or are considering the change, an online course will give you the low-overhead option to satisfy your CLE requirements while remaining flexible about where and when you schedule your day.
Flexibility may actually be where online courses excel over in-person seminars. Lawyers are busy! The chance to complete a course incrementally in between all your meetings and phone calls is invaluable. Many of us have several interests and areas of practice, and building a diverse skill set requires scheduling occasions to expose yourself to new ideas and fields. If you work in a small firm or handle your own cases, big-ticket seminars can prove to be expensive worth of time you might not even have. Online CLE courses offer greater opportunities to learn at your own pace rather than being forced to sit through a very long course just to satisfy your required credits.
On the other hand, attending courses with other lawyers offers great networking opportunities. It’s both common knowledge and common sense—you never know who you’re going to meet at a seminar, and making new professional connections can only be beneficial! Continuing legal courses often attract a wide variety of lawyers from different backgrounds. You may even get to make good contacts with lawyers who practice in a similar field; if not, you may be able to pass clients along to each other, or return the favor in another way down the line. One thing’s for sure—you’ll be that much better able to recommend attorneys whose services are better suited to a given client or situation.
Specifically, on the matter of networking opportunities, in-person CLE courses offer more opportunities to meet judges and court personnel and are the more appealing option for those who want to rub elbows with experts and make a good impression. Speaking of experts: Why have an expert teach your firm about updates in the law, when you could listen to one live on-site? In-person courses are more convenient than ever, especially when you’re lucky enough to live in a city like New York, where so many larger events featuring high-profile speakers and panelists take place.
In-person courses are often hosted in comfortable, distraction-free environments. While completing CLE courses online is certainly more flexible and affordable than ever, technology issues still crop up from time to time—even among the savviest "tech-early-adopters" among us. Before you go online for a live stream, you’d better be 100 percent certain that you’ll be able to find an area where you can concentrate! It’s difficult to relax and really get your mind around a subject when you’re sitting in an office that reminds you of your daily stressors and responsibilities.

Leading Providers in CLE Courses in New York

Alternative Legal Systems (Wuxted & Stone, LLC): Wuxted & Stone, is known for their diverse and advanced courses in family law. Although they are known for their family law programs, they have expanded their course offerings over the past few years to include a range of federal and state knowledge on everything from ethics and evidence to securities regulation and tax fraud. They are proud of their distinctly practical skills instruction that offer only the highest level of top down instruction.
New York Continuing Legal Education (NY CLE): NY CLE is one of the longest established providers of CLEs in the state. They are the principal provider of online CLEs and have a wide range of both live and on-demand CLE programs available.
The New York State Bar Association (NYSBA): NYSBA is one of the largest and most well known providers of continuing legal education. They are esepcially popular with private practice lawyers due to published costs. They company prides itself on providing robust Triple Credit CLEs that provide a uniquely well rounded experience for any practicing attorney. The State’s premier provider of legal research, WestlawNext is also owned by the New York State Bar Association.
Lawline: Lawline is an online provider of on-demand and live CLE courses. Their courses provides interactive and engaging learning experiences that many users find far preferable to other courses. Furthermore, they are recognized as one of the best publically listed providers of continuing legal education.
The National Academy of Continuing Judicial Education (NACLE): NACLE has some of the leading judges, justices, and law school professors participating as continuing judicial education speakers. Notably, all of their content is produced in conjunction with leading legal experts who provide both valuable insights and an interactive experience.

Specialized Areas of Study in CLE Courses

Aside from general requirements, New York attorneys have the freedom to choose the areas in which they would like to expand their knowledge and expertise. Fortunately for New York lawyers, a wide variety of specialized subjects are available for Continuing Legal Education. From corporate law to criminal law, these courses allow practitioners to sharpen their skills within a particular practice area. Corporate law CLE courses cover a wide range of topics for those attorneys involved in business transactional work. For instance, if you are an attorney practicing corporate law in the field of employment law, there are special CLE courses available. These courses drill down and reduce a large and complex subject matter to smaller sub-practice fields to facilitate a more efficient approach. Likewise, if you are a New York attorney who practices defense work , you may wish to attend CLE courses in the area of criminal defense. CLE courses are also available for prosecutors. These courses are geared to help defense attorneys and prosecutors refine their skills within this specialized area of the law. Family law CLE courses are another area that can be particularly valuable to such practitioners. Divorce and support proceedings raise a host of issues, particularly when children are involved. A course on these issues can be invaluable. Numerous other practice areas have their own specialized CLE courses including environmental law, antitrust law, taxation, administrative law, real estate, and many others. The ability of New York lawyers to hone their skills and expand their expertise in their particular field is one of the great benefits of New York Continuing Legal Education attendance requirements.

Efficient Strategies for Earning CLE Credits

To begin with, one encouraging fact stands out in this respected landscape of providers and offerings. In a jurisdiction that requires 24 total and 4 of them in ethics and professionalism, there is no limit on the number of credits lawyers can complete through "home study" (audio, video, and interactive formats). That means you can knock off all your required credits in a single Saturday.
On the other hand, remember that unlike many other states, which still require some amount of classroom learning, the State of New York now permits CLE credit for any activity that deals directly with the law or law practice. Whether that means meaningful networking or watching The Good Wife on TV, you may be closer to your accrual than you think.
Also, unique to New York, is that the CLE requirement of 24 hours (4 of them required) has a 12-hour minimum for each year. If you complete more than 24 hours, up to 12 can roll over into your next two-year cycle. And again, there is no limit to the number of "home-study" (i.e., self-study) credits you can earn.
Use these features to your advantage as practical considerations in your own learning and professional development. Take ethics and specialty credits in the morning, engage in substantive learning after lunch, then finish off the day (or the week, depending on your schedule) with some self-study credits.
Also, remember that unless you practice in certain state and local government agencies such as the Office of the Attorney General and the Appellate Division’s disciplinary committees, it’s unlikely you’ll come across the topic of ethics in your work. So put the old mantra, "If you don’t use it, you lose it," to the test and help your practice by doing right by the power and responsibility that comes with the privilege of attorney licensure. The credits do not have to be boring nor do they have to be bad for business.
Furthermore, there are more than 600 courses and workshops available covering various topics from property law to family law and everything in between. Some "specialty bar associations" (e.g., the LGBT Bar Association, Asian American Bar Association, and Women’s Bar Association) offer very focused courses that audit the law through the lens of an evolving, multi-dimensional and often different perspective. This is a remarkable opportunity to not only be a better lawyer but to live the contract you say you entered into with the state when you took the bar exam (and every time you pay your annual fee).

The Advantages of Continuing Legal Education

In the fast-paced world of law, it’s essential for attorneys to stay on top of legal developments in their areas of practice. New York Continuing Legal Education (CLE) courses are designed to help you do just that. Courses are offered on a variety of topics to keep practitioners in various fields up-to-date on current trends and developments.
CLE requirements vary by state, but New York requires attorneys to complete 24 hours of continuing education every two years. Newly admitted attorneys must complete 32.5 credit hours in the first two years of practice. The New York State CLE Board requires attorneys to take certain mandatory continuing legal education courses in topics such as ethics, professionalism, substance abuse, and skills, among others.
Beyond meeting CLE requirements , continuing legal education can help you to advance your legal career and better serve your clients. CLE courses can help you stay updated on important legal changes and developments in your field, refresh your existing knowledge or learn new skills relevant to your practice area, and expose you to new areas of knowledge that you may want to add to your professional toolkit.
To get the most out of continuing legal education, lawyers should choose courses wisely and view them as opportunities for professional development. Seek out CLE courses in areas relevant to your practice area to gain valuable insights, test your knowledge, and gain exposure to different aspects of the law. You may find that expanding your knowledge base will benefit you not only in your current role, but also set you up for future promotions and job opportunities.
Investing in continuing legal education is an investment not only in yourself, but also in the value you provide to clients as an attorney.