Richard Clem Continuing Legal EducationRichard Clem Continuing Legal EducationRichard Clem Continuing Legal Education
High quality, reasonably priced CLE opportunities
This CLE program took place in the past. Please visit my CLE page for information on upcoming programs.
Special Offer: $15 per credit
This CLE program took place in the past. For information on upcoming low-cost CLE programs, please visit my main CLE page.
The following conference call CLE program is scheduled for Saturday, March 2, 2013. This is a convenient way to satisfy your CLE requirements, for only $15 per credit. Upon registration, you will be given a toll-free telephone number and access code. At the time of the program, you simply call in, enter the access code, and listen to the program. You can submit live questions during the program. CLE credit has been applied for in Wisconsin and Minnesota. (Minnesota event code 177269). Credit is available in other states by reciprocity (for example, New York is reciprocal with Wisconsin, so you can satisfy your New York requirement with these programs).
Saturday, March 2, 2013. All times shown are Central time.
11:55 Phone line opens, opening remarks
12:00 Elimination of Bias 2013: Two MN Elimination of bias credits, Two standard WI credits applied for.
2:00 Break
2:05 Recent Wisconsin Supreme Court Decisions: One MN & WI credit applied for.
3:05 Break
3:10 Nuts and Bolts of Minnesota Appellate Practice: One MN & WI credit applied for.
4:10 Closing remarks
Elimination of Bias 2012. Live program, presented by Richard Clem. (12:00 PM) 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.
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 most states. 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. The course materials for this portion of the program are available at this link. 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.
Recent Wisconsin Supreme Court Decisions, January 2013. Live program presented by Richard Clem. We will look at the decisions of the Wisconsin Supreme Court handed down in January 2013. Topics include: Search and seizure, waiver of counsel, newly discovered evidence, voluntary confession, child care licensure, public records, and tort claims. The course materials for this program are available at this link. One hour.
Nuts and Bolts of Minnesota Appellate Practice Live program presented by Richard Clem. For the attorney unexpectedly faced with a case before the Minnesota Court of Appeals, it can be a daunting challenge. While the Minnesota Rules of Appellate Procedure are not onerous, they do impose requirements that might be very different from what the trial attorney is used to. In some cases, seemingly innocent violations of these rules can be disastrous. We’ll walk through the rules and give practical guidance on how to file a notice of appeal, how to order a transcript, how to write and assemble a brief, and even what color the brief’s cover needs to be, and how it should be bound. This course will put you at ease if you are ever required to file an appeal, or if the opposing party files an appeal in a case in which you prevailed. The course materials include detailed forms and checklists, and references to the rules. The course materials for this portion of the program are available at this link. One hour.
All programs will be presented live by Richard P. Clem, who 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 25 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 easiest way to register is to use the "Buy Now" button below. Then, click the "Buy Now" button to make your payment online. If you have a PayPal account, you will be given an opportunity to pay with that account. If you do not have a PayPal account, or don't want to use it, you may pay by credit card.
If you prefer to pay by check, then simply send me an e-mail to clem.law@usa.net indicating which programs you wish to attend, and then mail your check to:
Richard P. Clem Continuing Legal Education
PO Box 14957
Minneapolis, MN 55414
Upon confirmation of your registration, you will be sent instructions for calling in. You will dial a toll-free telephone number to be connected to the conference. There will be an opportunity for all participants to submit questions via e-mail or at the end of the program.
Copyright 2013, Richard P. Clem Continuing Legal Education
PO Box 14957
Minneapolis, MN 55414
612-378-7751