Conference Call CLE: Including Ethics and Elimination of Bias

Richard P. Clem Continuing Legal Education
CLE Conference Call: $25 per credit

This CLE program took place in the past. For information on upcoming low-cost CLE programs, please visit my main CLE page

For those Minnesota attorneys in CLE Category 3 who need to complete their CLE requirements and report by August 31, I'm offering a number of conference call programs for only $25 per credit. These programs will be on Friday, July 29 through Friday, August 6. Both daytime and evening programs are being offered. Each program offers one credit (applied for), and the programs include ethics and elimination of bias credit. If you have already completed your ethics and bias credits, the ethics and bias programs can also be used to fulfill your general 45 credit requirement. All programs have been approved for Minnesota CLE credit as shown below. Wisconsin CLE credit has been applied for.

You simply register online, and I will e-mail the course materials and call-in instructions. Please register at least thirty minutes prior to the start time.

Note: The bias programs shown below are all identical. If you need a second bias credit, please contact me, since I might be able to schedule a second conference call to complete the second credit. The ethics programs are different, so you may take as many as you like for up to six credits.

All programs run one hour, and begin promptly at the time shown. The phone line will open ten minutes prior to the start times shown, and there will be opening remarks approximately five minutes before the start time. Please call in ten minutes prior to the start time shown. All times shown are Central Daylight Time.
Date Time (CDT) Program MN Credit approved MBCLE Event Code
Friday, July 29 11:50 AM Proof of Foreign Law After Bodum 1.0 standard 158640
Friday, July 29 1:00 PM Minnesota Supreme Court: March-April 2011 Decisions 1.0 Standard 158641
Friday, July 29 Friday 2:10 program has been postponed until 3:30 PM Central time. Please register by 3:20 PM Ethics Part 5 1.0 Ethics 158642
Monday, August 1 12:00 PM Ethics Part 1 1.0 Ethics 158643
Monday, August 1 7:00 PM Ethics Part 2 1.0 Ethics 158644
Tuesday, August 2 12:00 PM Ethics Part 3 1.0 Ethics 158645
Tuesday, August 2 7:00 PM Ethics Part 4 1.0 Ethics 158646
Wednesday, August 3 12:00 PM Elimination of Bias 1.0 Bias 158647
Wednesday, August 3 7:00 PM Ethics Part 5 1.0 ethics 158648
Friday, August 5 12:00 PM Ethics Part 6 1.0 ethics 158649
Saturday, August 6 12:00 PM. **CANCELLED**. Elimination of Bias 1.0 bias 158650

CLE Credit

Minnesota: CLE credit has been approved as shown on the table above. Wisconsin: CLE credit has been approved as shown on the table above, with the following exception: The "Elimination of Bias" programs have been applied for one standard Wisconsin CLE credit each. Iowa: Iowa credit will be applied for upon request. A small additional charge may apply for Iowa credit.

Program Description

Ethics Refresher 2011 (Parts 1 through 6) (Live teleconference presented by Richard Clem). 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. Each program can be taken by itself, but is part of a longer six-hour program.

Proof of Foreign Law After Bodum. This program will discuss the ramifications of the Seventh Circuit�s decision in Bodum USA, Inc., v. La Cafetiere, Inc., 621 F.3d 624 (7th Cir. 2010), and what it means for the practitioner who needs to present the law of a foreign country to a U.S. Court. Two of the three opinions generated by Bodum were critical of the common-law practice of the use of expert affidavits to establish foreign law, even though the practice is permitted by the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. We�ll look at the common-law antecedents of this decision, the modern practice in various jurisdictions, and how the practitioner should respond to the three somewhat conflicting opinions in Bodum. One hour.

Minnesota Supreme Court: March-April 2011 Decisions. This program will review the decisions of the Minnesota Supreme Court handed down during March and April, 2011. Topics include: Zoning ordinance modifying Rochester airport "safety zone" constitutes a taking since diminution in value of adjoining property was substantial. A mutual mistake of material fact does not warrant recision of the contract when the mistake is to mere value--even though the contract accidentally included two parcels of land worth twice the value of the contract. When consent is at issue, the court may receive expert testimony as to the typical behavior of sexual assault victims. We'll also look at when property is "acquired" by a tax-exempt entity so as to exempt the property from taxation. Finally, we'll take a look at the court's reluctant order of March 9 continuing the "temporary" $100 increase on Minnesota Attorney Registration fees. One hour.

Elimination of Bias: The Rules and on Ongoing Process. Live program presented by Richard Clem. 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.

Elimination of Bias Learning Goals

This 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:

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.

This will be a live telephone conference call CLE. The speaker, Richard Clem, will be speaking live to teleconference participants from St. Paul, Minnesota. Upon registration, you will be given the telephone number to dial, and an access code to enter. This will be a toll-free number from the United States. Participants outside the United States will call a U.S. phone number in the 713 area code. You will also be e-mailed a copy of the course materials. There will be an opportunity for participants to ask questions during the conference call. In addition, it will be possible to send written questions to the speaker via e-mail, and these questions will be addressed during the call.

When registering, please provide the phone number from which you plan to call. There will be an automatic list of participants generated based upon Caller ID, and this list will be used to verify attendance. If you need to call from a different telephone, please inform me after the program so that I can verify attendance. A certificate of attendance will be e-mailed after the program to verified attendees. Each program begins promptly at the time shown above, and runs one hour. The phone line opens ten minutes prior to the start time. Please call in ten minutes prior to the start time.

About the Speaker

The program is presented by Richard P. Clem. He 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).

Registration

The cost of this program is $25 per participant for each program. To register, please e-mail the following information to clem.law@usa.net or phone it in to me at 612-378-7751.

You may pay in one of two ways. If you prefer to pay by check, simply register by e-mail, and then mail your check for $25 to:

Richard P. Clem Continuing Legal Education
PO Box 14957
Minneapolis, MN 55414

If you prefer, you may pay securely online by clicking the "Buy Now" button below. If you have a PayPal account, you will be given the option to sign in with your PayPal ID. If you do not have (or prefer not to use) your PayPal account, you may also pay with a credit card. Please specify the date and time of the call for which you would like to register.

Please select number of credits:
Please specify program(s):

Upon receipt of this information, I will e-mail you a copy of the course materials, along with the instructions to access the conference call. If you have any questions, you may call me at 612-378-7751. (Please note that this number will not be accessible during the teleconference.)

I will e-mail you a certificate of attendance after the program.

Return to my main page
Return to my CLE page
Send me an e-mail.

Copyright 2011, Richard P. Clem Continuing Legal Education
PO Box 14957
Minneapolis, MN 55414
612-378-7751