Certainties of life include birth, death, and taxes, and for attorneys, continuing legal education (CLE) reporting requirements.
CLE credits are a critical constant for attorneys, not just a duty as part of being a professional, but essential for maintaining a professional edge and upholding standards of competence and responsibility.
Previous articles,
like this one from Nov. 15, 2023,
InsideTrack, discuss various methods for earning CLE credit that you may not know about, such as:
Whether you are a new attorney not yet in your reporting year or a seasoned attorney searching for more ways to earn credits before your reporting deadline, here are a few additional opportunities to earn CLE credit.
Attend State Bar Conferences: WSSFC and AMC
The State Bar holds two major conferences each year: the
Annual Meeting & Conference (AMC) in June and the
Wisconsin Solo & Small Firm Conference (WSSFC) in October.
Held each June,
AMC brings together State Bar members from across Wisconsin for professional development, including networking and CLE opportunities. The 2025 AMC is scheduled for June 18-20, 2025, at the Monona Terrace in Madison. Registration through the State Bar website typically begins in January.
The 2024
WSSFC is Oct. 17-19 in Wisconsin Dells. This conference is designed especially for solo and small-firm practitioners –
find out more in this InsideTrack article.
On average, you can earn around 11 to 15 credit hours or more at the conferences, including plenaries and webcast programs for attendees after the conference is over.
Kelly Gorman, U.W. 2023, is an associate attorney with
Fox, O’Neill, & Shannon, S.C., in Milwaukee, where she focuses her practice on business law. She currently serves on the State Bar of Wisconsin Business Law Section Board of Directors.
Attendees should note that these credit hours include regular CLE, ethics and professional responsibility (EPR) credits, lawyer awareness and understanding (LAU) credits, and law practice management (LPM) credits.
Wisconsin Supreme Court Rules require 3.0 EPR credits and allow for up to 6.0 credits each of LAU and LPM credits to be used toward the 30 CLE mandatory credit hours per reporting period.
Go to State Bar Section CLE Programs
Along with State Bar CLE providers like PINNACLE, many of the
State Bar’s 24 practice area sections, such as the Business Law Section, host CLE programs.
While a free or reduced price is often given to members of the section, you don’t have to be a section member to register. CLEs are offered in either an in-person or online format.
The Business Law Section is currently hosting its
Business Lawyer Starter Kit CLE series targeted toward new attorneys or those looking to expand their practice into business law. The next session in the series, “Commercial Contracts,” will be held online over the noon hour in early October. This session is free for members of the Business Law Section and will be hosted by panelists with backgrounds in both the transactional and litigation side of business law. Look for emails on this series for more information.
To learn more about upcoming section CLE programs, check out the individual section webpages for event calendars and additional contact information – you’ll have to be a section member to see them.
Sponsor a CLE Session
Law firms or corporate law departments can also sponsor CLE sessions with credit pending approval from the Board of Bar Examiners (BBE).
The process to submit a course for approval with the BBE requires
filling out an online application (login required). The application is straightforward and asks for information such as the course title, method of presentation, and a copy of course materials highlighting program contents.
When planning a CLE session to submit for approval, firm and law department sponsors should be mindful of the
Wisconsin Supreme Court’s approval guidelines. Sponsors are additionally required to track attendance at the CLE and keep a record of attendance for up to four years,
per BBE Rule CLE 8.06.
For additional questions about sponsoring a CLE,
contact the BBE.
Law School Ethics Programs
Both U.W. and Marquette law schools offer ethics programs that can help attorneys earn up to 3.0 EPR credits, pending approval from the BBE, to fulfill their EPR credit requirement. Prior program sessions have addressed topics such as navigating artificial intelligence in the workplace, a history of American lawyer ethics, and the intersection of professional competence with various practice areas.
U.W. Law School offers a winter CLE seminar series, with the next session projected to be in early 2025. There is typically no cost for attendance, and sessions are conducted in a live virtual format.
The Marquette Law School ethics CLE program is held in person every other year, with the next program set for November 2025.
Check each Law School’s respective online event calendar for updates on these programs.
Final Thoughts
CLEs are more than just a requirement – they are an essential tool for learning a new skill, staying informed about developments in various areas of law, and increasing your network.
With an array of avenues available to earn CLE credits, attorneys can find opportunities that fit their schedule and interests.
This article was originally published on the State Bar of Wisconsin’s
Business Law Blog. Visit the State Bar
sections or the
Business Law Section webpages to learn more about the benefits of section membership.
