Tracking Your CLE Doesn’t Have to Be a Chore; Resources Are Available
Tracking continuing legal education (CLE) credits can be cumbersome. To make that task easier, free and paid resources are available online and via software packages.
By Aly Lynch, Stafford Rosenbaum LLP, Madison
July 5, 2012 – State bars typically offer free CLE tracking for individual attorneys, including the State Bar of Wisconsin. In addition, there are a number of paid service providers and software packages that serve individuals and entire firms.
Free CLE Tracking Services
The State Bar of Wisconsin and several state bar associations provide free CLE tracking services to their members
State Bar of Wisconsin. The State Bar of Wisconsin offers MyCLE Tracker (login required) as a free service to attorneys licensed in Wisconsin. Attorneys can view and edit CLE earned at the State Bar of Wisconsin PINNACLE® seminars, and they can add CLE credit obtained through teaching or writing, or other providers. PINNACLE-sponsored CLE programs appear in My CLE Tracker automatically.
MyCLE Tracker provides a nice summary by reporting period of the hours attended, on-demand hours, teaching hours, published legal writing, and Ethics and Professional Responsibility (EPR) hours. Entering non-PINNACLE CLE credit is straightforward with form fields to fill in all the necessary information. A frequently asked questions about MyCLE Tracker webpage also is available. FAQs include directions for adding non-PINNACLE CLE seminar credits as well as credits from teaching or authoring CLE items to My CLE Tracker.
Attorneys licensed in multiple states may face different CLE requirements for each jurisdiction, and they have the added task of tracking which CLE credits are approved in each jurisdiction.
Links to CLE Tracking Tools for Neighboring and Large States. A number of state bar associations provide free online CLE tracking services for their members.
If you track your CLE credits on your own, you still have to keep track of CLE requirements in the state(s) in which you are licensed. The ABA provides links to CLE requirement information for all 50 states, the U.S. territories, and Canadian jurisdictions. The individual jurisdiction pages link to the websites for those state bar associations, so you can find any additional CLE requirement information and see if that bar association has a CLE tracking tool.
Paid CLE Tracking Services
As with nearly any service provider, more features may be available from a paid service than free options. Some paid services allow law firms to track CLE credit for multiple attorneys licensed in any state. Some paid services also provide live and on-demand CLE webinars. Following is a list of several options:
- CE Manager and CLE Tracker are software packages designed for law firms.
- CLE Boutique is an online web-based application that tracks classes and send deadline reminder, notifications of local courses in your practice area, allows uploading and archiving for proof of attendance documentation, and offers an extensive searchable database of classes and products.
- CLE Management System software manages and organizes firm information.
- OnlineCLEGuide.com is an online program for individuals. Users can upload certificates or screenshots of completed courses.
- West LegalEdcenter – is an online service that offers CLE programs and tracks attendance.
About the Author
Aly Lynch, Marquette 2007, is the marketing coordinator and law librarian at Stafford Rosenbaum LLP, Madison.
