At my all-day continuting legal education programs, my goal is to include enough ethics credits so that the attorneys attending can satisfy their entire ethics obligation. This year, my program in Sioux City, Iowa, on October 25, 2019 didn't quite meet that goal. The program has been approved for 5 Iowa CLE credits, but that includes only 1.75 ethics credits, which might leave some attorneys short 1.25 credits. This page lists courses by other providers that will allow you to complete your ethics requirement at no cost or at low cost.

The current Iowa ethics CLE biennium is January 1, 2018, through December 31, 2019. This means that Iowa attorneys must complete three hours of ethics during this two year period. If you attended my 2018 Sioux City program, then your ethics requirement is taken care of. If you attended any other ethics program of at least 75 minutes in 2018 or 2019, then you will complete your ethics with my 2019 program.

If you did not take any other ethics program in 2018 or 2019, then you will need an additional 1.25 credits (75 minutes) of ethics before December 31, 2019. You can complete this requirement with one or more of the free programs listed on this page. These are programs by other CLE providers, and are approved for Iowa ethics credit. In addition, I will be offering free ethics conference call programs before December 31, and will be posting details of those programs.

Most of the programs listed on this page are "live" programs, and there is no limitation to how many credits you may take. Some programs, such as the Minnesota State Law Library programs, are "unmoderated programs". On March 24, 2014, the Iowa Supreme Court amended the Iowa CLE rules to allow Iowa attorneys to receive up to six credits per year, including their ethics credits, with unmoderated programs. For more information, you can view the Supreme Court's Order or the Iowa CLE Commission's Guidelines. If you take any of the "unmoderated" or "on demand" programs, make sure that you take no more than six hours of such programs.

The programs listed below will allow you to finish your Iowa Ethics credits at no cost:

Live webcasts by Attorney Protective: October 16, November 20, December 11

Attorney Protective is presenting free one-hour CLE webcasts on October 16, November 20, and December 11. Each program has been approved for Iowa ethics credit (Activity ID's 326757, 326758, and 333417.

Live webcast by Lexis-Nexis: November 1

Lexis-Nexis is presenting a free one hour webcast program on November 1 entitled "Answering the Call: Overcoming Substance Abuse in the Legal Profession." This program is not currently listed as being approved in Iowa, but probably will be. An earlier presentation of the same program was approved for 1.0 Iowa ethics credit.

Free On-Demand Ethics Programs from Minn. State Law Library

The Minnesota State Law Library and the Minnesota State Bar Association offer a number of free on-demand programs which you can view on your computer at any convenient time. These include three ethics programs. Two programs, totaling 2.5 ethics credits, have been approved in Iowa. An additional 1 credit course apprears to be eligible for credit.

All available courses are available at this link. On that page, the following programs may be taken for ethics credit:

• Everything You Need to Know About Trust Accounts - 1.5 ethics credits approved in Iowa (Iowa activity number 317680.
• Help for Attorneys in Crisis: Dealing with Lawyer Addiction and Impairment - 1 ethics credit approved in Iowa (Iowa activity number 317698.
• The Ethical Impact of Stress - 1 ethics credit. This program has not been pre-approved for Iowa credit, but appears to meet all requirements, and Iowa attorneys may submit it for approval after taking the program. Under Court Rule 42.4(2), there is no fee for an attorney submitting a course for approval.

Low-cost (but not free) webcasts by ISBA: November 19, December 11, 12, 20, 31

While they are not free, the Iowa State Bar Association is presenting a number of low-cost ethics programs before the end of the year. The next one is a one-credit CLE Webinar on November 19. The cost is $40 for ISBA members or $55 for non-members. Registration information is available at this link. ISBA is offering another one credit program at the same price on December 20. Registration information is available at this link.

For those who like waiting until the last minute, ISBA has another one-credit ethics program on December 31 at the same price. egistration information for the December 31 program is available at this link.

ISBA is also offering a 1/2 credit ethics program on December 11. The cost is $30 for ISBA members and $45 for non-members. Regsitration information is available at this link.

If you need two ethics credits, then ISBA is offering a two credit ethics webinar on December 12. The cost is $75 for members and non-members. Registration information is available at this link.

Other programs for general (non-ethics) credit

While it is not approved for ethics credits, if you need an additional 2.75 CLE credits during this reporting period, there will be a free CLE by Iowa Children's Justice in Sioux City on October 30 at Western Iowa Tech Community College (or October 29 in Council Bluffs). For more information, see the Iowa Judicial Branch website. To register, visit this link.

Books by Richard Clem:

Please visit my author page at amazon.com

Advertisements:
Walmart.com, OfficeMax, Hotels.com, Harbor Freight, JC Whitney.com.

Return to my main page

Copyright 2019, Richard P. Clem.
Attorney Richard P. Clem is responsible for the content of this page.

Richard P. Clem, Attorney
PO Box 14957
Minneapolis, MN 55414
Phone: 612-378-7751
e-mail: clem.law@usa.net
Minnesota Attorney Registration Number 0192648