Richard Clem Continuing Legal Education

Update: Walk-in registrations are welcome for this program, but only if you arrive between 10:30 and 1:30. If you need the full five credits, please call me so that I can arrive at 9:30. We currently have no registrants for the first hour of the program. You can reach me at 612-378-7751 (office) or 651-285-5474 (cell).

Wednesday, January 29, 2014, 9:25 AM - 3:00 PM

Community Meeting Room
Lower Level, Como Lakeside Pavilion
1360 North Lexington Parkway
St. Paul, Minnesota 55103

CLE credit has been applied for as follows:

• Minnesota: 5 credits applied for, including 3 ethics and 2 elimination of bias. (Minnesota Event Code 187693).
• Wisconsin, Iowa, Indiana: CLE credit applied for upon request.
• Other states: Attorneys in many states have used my programs for credit. Please contact me for any assistance in applying for credit.

This is a video replay of a program originally presented on April 24, 2013, which was approved for 5 credits, including 3 ethics and 2 bias.

Ethics 2013. This will be a comprehensive review of the Rules of Professional Conduct for attorneys in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Iowa. All three states have adopted substantially similar rules governing lawyers, and this course will review the rules as adopted in all three states. Where the rules differ, we will go over the differences. Seeing these differences is useful for the practitioner in that particular state, but also gives insight into the meaning of the rule in other states. And since the same model rules serve as the basis for most states’ rules, this course will provide practical guidance for attorneys in most U.S. jurisdictions. Many lawyers review the Rules in their entirety only once, and that is before they take the Multistate Professional Responsibility Exam in law school. But the rules change over the years and decades, and some of the finer points might be forgotten. Therefore, this course will serve as a useful refresher for the practitioner to avoid ethical pitfalls. Three hours. A copy of the course materials is available for download at this link.

Elimination of Bias 2013. We'll start by looking at the rules governing bias within the legal profession, which is a subject covered by both the General Rules of Practice and the Rules of Professional Conduct. We will then see how well we are collectively doing as a profession and legal system in abiding by those rules. We will do so through the eyes of participants at a series of community dialogues at which community members were asked to describe their experiences and discuss ideas for advancing racial equality and fairness in the courts. All participants are welcome to share their insights. e w discuss the special issues of immigrant and refugee parents whose children interact with the judicial system. We will discuss actual and perceived racial profiling. We will discuss the unintended immigration consequences of state court actions. Finally, we will discuss how the system can better reach out to communities of color, both as a system, and as individual attorneys. The first hour of this two-hour program will be a video replay of the program presented on April 17. The second hour will continue as a live lecture and discussion. The course materials for this portion of the program are available at the following links: PDF format. Plain text (better for viewing on phone or e-reader.

• Elimination of Bias Learning Goals: Each elimination of bias program will run sixty continuous minutes, will relate directly to the practice of law, and is designed to meet the first and third learning goals for elimination of bias courses:
  
  1. To educate lawyers about the elimination of bias or prejudice in the legal profession, in the practice of law, and/or in the administration of justice; ...
  
  3. To educate lawyers about the problems identified in the Supreme Court's Race Bias and Gender Fairness Task Force Reports, as well as in other studies, reports or treatises which describe bias and prejudice in the legal profession, in the practice of law, and/or in the administration of justice.
  We will begin by referencing the Supreme Court's 1993 report on the elimination of bias in the judicial system, and we will also look at how both the Rules of Professional Conduct and the General Rules of Practice require us as lawyers to avoid bias.
  
  Then, we will look at how well we are doing in meeting these requirements, as seen by various communities, including communities of color. In particular, we'll examine the suggestions made by members of the public at community dialogues held over the past three years by the Supreme Court's Racial Fairness Committee.
  
  There will be opportunities for participants to discuss these suggestions, and to offer our own suggestions on how we can fulfill these professional obligations.
  
  

Course materials will be handed out at the program. If you would prefer to save paper and view the materials on your laptop or mobile device, please use the links above.

Richard P. Clem has a B.A. in history from the University of Minnesota, and a J.D., cum laude, from Hamline University School of Law. He has been in private practice in the Twin Cities for over 20 years. His reported cases include: Asociacion Nacional de Pescadores a Pequena Escala o Artesanales de Colombia v. Dow Quimica de Colombia, 988 F.2d 559, rehearing denied, 5 F.3d 530 (5th Cir. 1993), cert. denied, 510 U.S. 1041 (1994); LaMott v. Apple Valley Health Care Center, 465 N.W.2d 585 (Minn. Ct. App. 1991); Abo el Ela v. State,468 N.W.2d 580 (Minn. Ct. App. 1991).

The cost of this program is $125. To register, simply send an e-mail to me at clem.law@usa.net letting me know which program(s) you wish to attend. You may pay by check at the door.

You may also register securely online by following the "Buy Now" link below. If you have a PayPal account, you may sign and and use your PayPal account. If you do not have a PayPal account, of if you prefer to simply use a credit card, you may also do so by following this link.

Please specify date:

If you have any questions, please e-mail me at clem.law@usa.net or call me at 612-378-7751. If you need to contact me the day of the program, my cel phone number is 651-285-5474.