Richard Clem Continuing Legal Education: This CLE program took place in the past. For information on upcoming low-cost CLE programs, please visit my main CLE page.
Elimination of Bias 2012
Dunn Brothers Coffee
3725 Beltline Drive
Addison, TX 75001
Cafe Phone Number for Directions: 972-406-9711
Thursday, December 27, 2012
1:30 - 3:30 PM
Two CLE credits, only $49.
Texas: Two ethics credits approved (Course #901260447)
Minnesota: Two elimination of bias credits approved(MN event code 174995)
Update: I will be away from the office after December 21, and I will not be able to receive messages on my office answering machine. If you need to call me prior to the program, please call me at my cel phone, 651-285-5474. I will also be checking my e-mail regularly. Pre-registration is recommended, but you may also register and pay by check at the door. If you prefer to pay by credit card, please use the link on this page.
I should have plenty of copies of the course materials. But if you would like to download a copy and print it and/or view it on your mobile device, it is available at this link.
Elimination of Bias 2012. Live program, presented by Richard Clem. Minnesota, along with only a handful of other states, requires its attorneys to take some CLE courses on "Elimination of Bias". These programs are required 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." Some of these programs are quite good, and provide useful information about how better to relate to clients and other persons who are members of various minority communities.
As might be expected, however, some of these programs are not quite as good. There's sometimes a tendency for those presenting the program to somewhat patronizing, and to lecture the attorneys present about how they should stop being so biased. And as might be expected, attorneys generally come away from these programs feeling like they've wasted their time and money, and that all they've accomplished is satisfying the bare minimum of the CLE requirement.
When I present this program in Minnesota to lawyers who are there only because they are required to be there, I do my best to avoid being patronizing. I do this by recognizing one important reality: I'm just as biased as all of the other attorneys in the room. And I've also realized that I'm probably not going to eliminate anyone else's bias, notwithstanding the name of the course. But by presenting this course many times, I have learned to recognize what my biases are. And in many cases, I learn that I'm a better lawyer if I compensate for those biases.
I especially enjoy presenting this program in other states, because I realize that the biases are different in different parts of the country. I'm presenting this program in Texas for the benefit of Minnesota licensed attorneys living there who need their two bias credits. But the need to deal with our biases is a universal professional obligation found in the ethics rules of every state.
During this program, we'll talk about the rules of professional conduct and how they relate to bias. We'll start by looking at the rules governing bias within the legal profession, a subject covered by the Rules of Professional Conduct in both Minnesota and Texas. 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. There will be opportunity for discussion, and participants are welcome to share their insights.
We will discuss issues such as the importance of diversity of the bench and court staff, and whether this is necessary for actual fairness, perceived fairness, or both. We will discuss the importance of overcoming barriers to access to the courts, such as lack of public transportation. We will 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. Two hours.
This program will run more than 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:
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.
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).
We'll be meeting in the meeting area of Dunn Brothers Coffee, 3725 Beltline Road, Addison, Texas, 75001. The cafe phone number for directions is 972-406-9711. If you need to contact me prior to the program, my cel phone number is 651-285-5474. Participants are encouraged to order coffee or lunch.
The cost for the program is $49. You may register by mail by sending payment to:
Richard P. Clem
PO Box 14957
Minneapolis, MN 55414
Phone (612) 378-7751
For questions the day of the CLE, Cel. (651) 285-5474
If you register by mail, please call me or e-mail me to let me know you're coming. I will not be getting my mail in the days before the program.
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.
If you have any questions, please e-mail me at clem.law@usa.net or call me at 612-378-7751.