RULES AND REGULATIONS FOR
CONTINUING LEGAL EDUCATION AWARD
Legal Secretaries International Inc. hereby establishes a Continuing
Legal Education Award Program and sets the criteria and procedures for
attaining this Award.
I. Purpose. One of the main objectives of our association, as
set forth in the Bylaws and Standing Rules as well as the Legal Secretary's
Creed, is to encourage secretaries to pursue continuing legal education.
We believe regular participation in continuing legal education programs
enhances the professional skills of legal secretaries and improves the
quality of the assistance we provide. The purpose of this Program would
be to recognize and encourage those secretaries who accomplish this goal.
II. Powers. The Director of Education shall have the general administrative
and supervisory powers to effect the goals of this Program and determine
whether an educational course qualifies for legal or general education
credit. Decisions of the Director of Education may be appealed to the
Board.
III. Credits. A minimum of 30 hours in education program courses
meeting the criteria set forth in the paragraph entitled Categories and
Credits below and earned within a two-year period shall be required to
qualify for the Continuing Legal Education Award. Credit shall be given
for programs at least 30 minutes in length. Programs of less than 30 minutes'
duration will not be considered for this award.
IV. Application. Please forward your
application, along with documentation and
the application fee to the Director of Education.
(A) Renewal Application. An applicant may apply within six (6)
months of expiration for issuance of an updated certificate for a two-year
period. Credit hours for renewal may be earned from date of last application.
To allow flexibility in applying for the award, credit hours may be
carried over for a six month period, allowing accrued credit hours in
excess of the required hours for one award period to be carried forward
to the renewal period if they are earned within six months of the date
that renewal is to become effective.
(B) Verification/Documentation. In all categories, copies of
certificates, manuscripts, articles, letters signed by an Affiliate
officer, etc., may be used for verification of attendance and must be
included with the application. Send photocopies of documents only. Originals
will not be returned.
V. Categories and Credits. You must complete this
form and attach it to your application.
Category A. Legal Education. This category includes any organized
program of legal learning such as workshops, symposiums, or lectures
which the applicant attended or for which the applicant served as a
panel discussion participant or speaker. Video, motion picture, or sound
tape presentations may also qualify for credit under this category.
In these cases the documentation should include the full title of the
tape, the presenter, and the "running time." Credit hours
may also be earned for legal education college courses (actual class
hours), provided applicant attains a grade of "C" or better.
A copy of the course transcript must be attached to the application.
For these classes, count the actual clock hours. Although a college
may refer to a course as a "three-hour course," the class
probably met at least 40 clock hours during the semester so the applicant's
CLE credit would be 40 hours.
Category B. Teaching and/or Seminar Preparation Time. Credit
hours shall be calculated on the basis of 3 hours' teaching preparation
credit for each hour of presentation time on a topic that is presented
for the first time. Repeat preparations qualify for one-half of the
credits available for the initial presentation. The applicant must include
a copy of the course and/or seminar outline(s) with the application
form. Actual teaching/seminar presentation time must be taken under
Category A, D, or F, as appropriate.
Category C. Certification. Applicants will receive 10 hours
per examination completed and passed. Credit for any preparatory course
for the certification exams should be listed under Category A. Credits
may also be earned under Category G for self-study in preparation for
these exams.
Category D. General Education. A maximum of 5 hours may be earned
through job-related general education programs and college courses.
Examples of programs in this category include office or personnel administration,
office technology, word processing, basic secretarial skills, grammar,
accounting, filing systems, case management, and Total Quality Management.
Category E. Published Articles. Up to 4 credit hours (2 credit
hours for each article published) may be earned by those applicants
who publish legal or legal secretarial articles (copies must be attached
to application) if such publications fall within the following categories:
-National or local publications for the members of this association.
-National, state, or local publications for the members of the bar
association.
-National, state, or local publications for the legal or legal secretarial
professional in general.
-Articles or chapters published in books for the use of the legal
or legal secretarial professional.
Category F. Professional Enhancement. A maximum of 2 hours may
be earned through professional enhancement programs or courses in time
management, stress management, leadership, motivation, and human relations.
Category G. Self-study. A maximum of 2 hours may be earned through
self-study. This is the only category that does not require specific
documentation. The applicant may claim time spent reading specialty
education newsletters. The applicant may also claim time spent studying
for a certification exam under this Category.
VI. Recognition. Successful applicants for the CLE Award and subsequent
renewal of same will be given a Certificate evidencing completion of the
required credit hours and will be recognized in the In Brief for the quarter
in which the certificate is awarded.
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