CLE programs: why are they often irrelevant to most lawyers' practice areas?

I just got a brochure for a two day CLE program, and it reveals something that is common to a lot of these all day, or multi-day, programs: the choice of topics have no coherence, and therefore little utility for most lawyers. If you're going to spend all day in a CLE seminar wouldn't you want all (or most all) of the programs to be relevant to your practice? Isn't that they idea of CLE? If it's not relevant how can it benefit the lawyer or their clients?

Just so you see a concrete example, here is a list of some of the topics. As you read them ask yourself would a lawyer go to this multi-day seminar to learn, or just to load up on CLE credits?

• Jury selection tips
• Bankruptcy problems: how to avoid them
• How music conditions us culturally
• Eye witness identification problems
• Mobile lawyering tips
• "Grandma's last chance" (not sure what this is about)
• Recent developments in Civil procedure
• Recent developments in Criminal law
• Medicaid & Estate planning
• Commercial leases: how to avoid problems
• Ethics
• Land Use: planning and development

These mish-mash programs are offered because the people who put them on are dependent on getting free speakers, and it's hard to coordinate a bunch of free speakers who will talk about a coherent topic. I'm not condemning the organizer of this program; they're just doing what everyone else does. And it seems to be hard for most CLE organizers to figure out how to attract quality speakers on a regular basis.

Even if the organizer is a state bar association.

New Orleans lawyers: Interested in a useful CLE seminar, done really well?

If you'll be in New Orleans the week between Christmas and New Years, and if you need CLE credit, then you might want to sign up for one of the seminars I'm helping to put  on. All of the seminars are tech-related, and based on the idea that lawyers have to deal with technology so it makes sense to learn how to use it better.

Why not kill two birds with one stone? That is, you can get CLE credit for learning some tech skills that will actually help you in your day-to-day practice. Also, our seminars are put on by outstanding speakers who know how to explain technology effectively.

The first two days of the seminar are called Paperless Chase: Digital Lawyering tips & tricks. You can sign up for one day, or both days (and get a price break if you sign up for two days). These sessions will cover things like E-discovery, Working with PDF files, Email issues, Digital Case Management, Digital Note-taking, Cloud computing, and Mobile Lawyering (iPads and iPhones etc.).

The third day is a half-day intensive seminar that focuses on How to Create a Paperless Law Practice. It's perfect for anyone who is trying to become paperless, or to improve on an initial foray into paperless lawyering.

Both sessions have Early-bird pricing that will expire on Dec 1st, so if you're interested now is the time to sign up. Also, we're keeping the sessions down to a small size, which means that they'll probably sell out not long after the Dec 1st price jump. Click here for the main page, or click on the links above if you know which seminar you want to attend.

We pride ourselves on doing CLE the way it should be done. We give useful information that can help any lawyer who has a computer or a smartphone, and we do it in an interesting and entertaining way. Of course, if you've been to one of our seminars you know that already.

Half Day CLE seminar in New Orleans: Paperless Lawyering

In addition to the two day seminar on more advanced technology information for lawyers, my CLE company also offering a half-day intro to paperless lawyering.

Here's the schedule. (Click here to sign up; Early Bird pricing in effect until Dec. 1st). The event is on Dec 30th of this year.

09:00–10:00 am -  Creating a paperless law practice

Creating a paperless practice involves picking the right scanner, and  then setting it up for the common, everyday scan jobs. Setting up a reliable file-naming, and storage system is critical, preferably one that allows file access via the Internet. There's only one "right" scanner, and we'll tell you what it is.

10:00–11:00 am - Maintaining a paperless practice

Maintaining a paperless practice is about dealing with digital documents. Mostly, it's about getting proficient at using PDFs, and making notes and highlighting key information. Transitioning away from fax machines and printers is also important. So is creating a digital signature. We'll show you how.

11:00–12 noon - Workflow & logistical issues

Some workflow issues are different for each firm, and it's important to tweak those to suit your firm's particular needs. There is no technology issue that can't be overcome by someone with sufficient knowledge, but often the stumbling blocks are human nature and psychological. Come with questions; we've got answers.