Georgia CLE Overview
Georgia’s Continuing Legal Education (CLE) requirements stipulate that legal professionals must complete 12 hours of accredited CLE programs, which must include at least 1 hour of ethics training annually. In addition to ethics, many legal professionals in the state attend CLE courses on civil procedure, criminal law, contract law, family law, labor and employment law, litigation and malpractice. These subjects provide a well-rounded review of the areas most commonly encountered in legal practice , and also allow legal professionals to maintain a sharp and knowledgeable focus throughout their careers. To ensure compliance with the Supreme Court of Georgia’s rules for continuing education, legal professionals are encouraged to participate in accredited CLE courses at regular intervals throughout their careers. Having a firm understanding of what the CLE requirements are, what specific courses are available on topics of interest, and how to access accredited CLEs online can help legal professionals to continue their education throughout their careers.
Approved CLE Providers in Georgia
The Georgia State Bar has approved a variety of organizations, associations, and institutions to provide continuing legal education courses. The majority of providers are professional or educational institutions, spanning across not-for-profit entities, for-profit businesses, or even law schools and governmental bodies. Some of the most commonly used providers include the Institute of Continuing Legal Education in Georgia (ICLE), the Georgia Institute of Continuing Legal Education, the Judicial Council of Georgia, the Georgia Association of Defense Lawyers, and the Southern Federal Tax Institute. Providers may be devoted to a specific area of legal practice, such as the American Law Institute-American Bar Associations and the National Business Institute.
Although many of the approved providers have their educational courses pre-approved by the Georgia Board of Continuing Legal Education, the organization still must submit the Continuing Education Programs Notification Form to gain approval. The Board assesses the provider’s proposed course for its content, appropriateness, length, and recording quality (if applicable).
Live and On-Demand CLE
Online courses and in-person courses are the two primary ways attorneys can complete their CLE requirements in Georgia. Each method has its own benefits and drawbacks.
Distance and Live CLE
The most notable difference between the courses is how you are learning the information. With online courses, you are learning the material on your own and at your own pace. In a live course, you’re in a classroom or auditorium with other attendees and the instructor.
Technology Options
If you decide to take an online course in Georgia, you have a few technology options: If your computer has a webcam, you can attend a live web cast of a classroom course virtually from anywhere there’s an internet connection.
The Technical Aspect
Some of the online course providers give lots of support to help out customers who might not be technically savvy. For example, Georgia CLE provides customer support that assists with technical issues. Even if you have a great computer that you’ve never had problems with before, things still happen. For example, you may accidentally leave your computer at home when you go into the court house for a motion hearing, and your computer battery dies. And speaking of the courthouse…
Going Studying From Your Smartphone
If you’ve got some downtime waiting in a courthouse or elsewhere, you have time to get through a few hours of credit hours on the go. You can pull out your smartphone and get through material while you’re waiting. Just be sure you’ve downloaded everything first so you don’t have to (or can’t) connect to the Internet.
The Drawbacks of Online Courses
It can be easy to sign up for an online course and never take make time to finish it. You can also be tempted to try to rush through them just to satisfy the requirement. The quality may not be as consistent in pre-recorded courses as it is in live classes. If you have questions, you may have to look up the answers yourself or get creative on how you get them.
There are also fewer face-to-face opportunities. You can miss the collaborative environment that a live class allows you to have with the instructor and your fellow legal professionals.
The Benefits of Online Courses
You’ll be able to choose a time and place that works best for you, which means you can be flexible with your schedule. It can also save you time and money. You can also take more notes since you’ll be able to rewind and fast forward. There’s also a bigger variety or topics available through online courses than live ones.
Georgia CLE Requirements For Attorneys
If you aren’t sure what your requirements are, go to Georgia’s Supreme Court Commission on continuing Lawyer Competency’s website to check.
When and How to Report CLE in Georgia
As it pertains to CLE reporting, Georgia is very strict. Attorneys cannot pick and choose when to report their CLE credits. In Georgia, attorneys are required to report their CLE credits every year if they are active registrants. If they are inactive, they can go for years without reporting. Here is how the CLE reporting process works in Georgia.
Credit can be reported by the attorney, course organizer or a Georgia CLE Compliance Officer. Even if the attorney has the course information, make sure the course is not already reported before reporting. To report online, a Georgia Bar member can log into the My Bar Page section on the Bar’s website with their bar number. Go to the following link to record your CLE credit: Attorneys can see all the courses they have reported and the credits received for each course. To lookup course credits that may have been reported outside the CLE system you can use the Lookup Course Status page on the Georgia State Bar website . You should keep track of your courses in an Excel spreadsheet (or some other database) that lists the course name and credits you received for each course. If a CLE course is on the spreadsheet but has not been reported to the CLE system, make sure you report it. It is your responsibility to make sure all your CLE credits are reported. If you have reached the 6 credits threshold for the current reporting year and you take a CLE course with Zero credits, that credit does not apply to your 6 credits. For example, if you take a CLE course on Stress Management, it may help your practice, but may not count towards Georgia CLE credit. The deadline to report your CLE is the last day of each month prior to the compliance deadline. So, if the June 30 compliance deadline is a Monday, your CLE credits are due to the CLE Institute by 11:59 PM on the Friday prior. If June 30 is a Tuesday, your CLE credits are due that Monday by 11:59 PM.
Efficiently Completing the CLE Requirement
To efficiently meet CLE requirements in Georgia, attorneys can benefit from a number of strategies that not only help ensure compliance but also enhance their professional development. Here are some effective approaches:
- Prioritize relevant courses: Consider the areas of law most relevant to your practice, and search for CLE courses that focus on these subjects. Not all CLE courses will be applicable to every attorney’s work; choose those that will have a direct impact on your practice to make the most of your time.
- Set aside dedicated CLE time: Create a specific time block each quarter dedicated to completing CLE requirements, whether through a live webinar, online course, or reading requirement. Setting aside specific times during the year for CLE completion will help you stay organized and relieve stress as deadlines approach.
- Take advantage of online options: Online CLE courses allow attorneys to work at their own pace and revisit material as needed. This flexibility is especially beneficial for busy attorneys who struggle to find time for live events. Pre-recorded online courses can be particularly convenient for fitting into your schedule.
- Network with fellow attorneys: Connect with other Georgia Bar members to share information about upcoming CLE courses. Discussing the material with colleagues and peers not only helps retain information, but will also give you a new perspective on the material.
- Use study groups: Study groups are not just for law students and recent graduates. Forming a study group with colleagues or peers can help you remain accountable for course completion. Meeting periodically to discuss CLE content and ask questions can also help you better grasp complex material.
- Set advanced course registrations: When you register for a CLE course far in advance, you can schedule your course completion around your workload. Registrations close out faster than ever for in-person classes, but today’s technology enables you to participate from anywhere at any time. When you find a course that you like, you’ll see the benefits of taking care of your requirements early.
- Leverage self-study options: The CLE Standards allow attorneys to complete up to 6 hours of their requirements through self-study, which can be a valuable option for busy attorneys who can’t attend live events. Creative options include reading appropriate legal literature or listening to podcasts.
- Create a checklist or calendar of deadlines: Make a simple checklist or calendar for when CLE requirements are due so you stay ahead of the deadline. You can also add other professional development opportunities on top of CLE requirements. Whether you input everything into a document or use an online calendar, having a set plan keeps your options open as you get closer to completion.
Future of CLE in Georgia
Potential Changes in CLE Requirements
As technology continues to evolve and shape the legal landscape, it has the potential to influence the future of CLE requirements in Georgia. The increasing prevalence of online learning platforms and virtual networking may eventually replace in-person seminars and workshops as the preferred modes of education for many attorneys.
Simultaneously, changing legal standards and practices may demand that legal professionals be trained in novel areas of the law that are not currently covered. For instance, emerging legal fields such as artificial intelligence and big data analytics may soon require their own specialized CLE courses , while the fallout from the #MeToo movement may mean that anti-harassment training will need to be mandated in some form or fashion.
The future of compliance and insurance practice in Georgia also suggests that the next generation of legal professionals may need training in novel areas of the law. In particular, the looming threat of inevitable cyberattacks means that risk management skills and knowledge of cybersecurity risks may need to be incorporated into CLE requirements.
It is clear that continuing legal education will continue to play an integral role in the professional development of attorneys and other legal professionals throughout the state. How CLE requirements are applied and how legal professionals earn their required CLE credits may change in ways we do not yet know.