What Is A CLE Tracker And How To Make Good Use Of It

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Law is a demanding and difficult profession. With multiple stakeholders involved in every matter, including clients, regulators, law enforcement agencies, judges, and other attorneys, lawyers have their work cut out for them. To ensure that those in the legal profession are at the top of their game and continuously working towards improving themselves, many states in the USA have made it mandatory to complete CLE (Continuing Legal Education).

What is CLE?

CLE, i.e., Continuing Legal Education, consists of professional courses/practices that attorneys must complete after their enrollment to the state bar. The general rule of thumb is that attorneys must earn a set number of CLE credits within a specific number of years of their bar enrollment. The particular number of years and the specific courses required differ from state to state. However, it is important to complete your minimum CLE requirements to be able to continue practicing law.

Tracking your CLE requirements

As a new attorney, you more than likely have your hands full for more hours than there are in a day. To make your mark in the legal fraternity, you must go above and beyond every day. Amid this grind, things such as completing your CLE requirements may not seem like a priority. However, once you put your CLE on the back burner, it’s very easy to forget about it until it’s too late to complete your credits. An easy way to avoid such a situation is to invest in a CLE tracker to help streamline your CLE targets.

What is a CLE tracker?

A CLE tracker is an online tool that helps you keep track of your CLE progress and provides you with a one-stop solution for managing all your CLE activities. CLE trackers, as the name suggests, track your credits and update you on all impending deadlines.

However, a good CLE tracker also gives you access to useful CLE material and keeps you informed of events and lectures you can participate in to complete your credits. This way, you can remain punctual with your CLE deadline and ensure all your mandatory credits are completed within it.

Setting up your CLE tracker

The best part about a good CLE tracker is not that it cuts out all your CLE-related administrative work and gives you a single portal to manage everything. What tops even this is that setting up your CLE tracker is easier than you can imagine, as it can use your existing calendar and billing systems. This way, you don’t have to worry about learning how to use new tools, as you can continue working with familiar systems. 

How to make the best use of your CLE tracker

The decision to get a CLE tracker is a smart move, but it isn’t enough to stop there. You must figure out how to extract the most benefit out of your CLE tracker. To do this, you must align your CLE tracker so it can help you achieve the best practices for CLE:

1. Use your CLE tracker to find courses/programs of interest

Attorneys often make the mistake of taking courses or programs and events unrelated to their specialization. Just because the timing seems convenient, attorneys sign up for the program or course and later regret wasting their time on something that isn’t useful to them.

With your CLE tracker, you can see available programs and courses in one place and find one which interests you. This way, you won’t just be completed the state CLE requirement, but also upskill as an attorney.

2. Set your CLE tracker to exceed your credit targets

Your CLE tracker can be tailored to fit your requirements. It will help you complete your CLE credits on time. However, there may be a sudden important case that prevents you from working on your CLE credits for a few weeks.

One way to prepare for such situations is to program your CLE tracker to exceed your required CLE credit targets. If the requirement for this year is 30 CLE credits, try to do 45 or 60 instead. This way, if you are ever unable to fulfill your CLE credits as per the set schedule, you will have space to fall back on.  

3. Use your CLE tracker to find programs instead of courses

Often, attorneys make the mistake of focusing solely on courses to complete their CLE credits. This not only takes up a lot of valuable time but also gives you little opportunity to explore any subject fully.

The solution to this problem is to use your CLE tracker to find events and programs such as giving lectures or writing articles, which also count towards CLE credits. These programs are not only much more engaging and enjoyable, but they also allow attorneys to network and build useful connections and face value. 

Conclusion

Although not all states have a mandatory CLE requirement, in states with a mandatory CLE requirement, attorneys failing to meet the same may have their license suspended. As an attorney, a CLE tracker can make tracking your CLE credits much easier. Just be sure to find out what your state CLE requirements are, and program your CLE tracker as per them, and we’re sure you’ll be able to meet your goals in time!