Reporting CLE's Electronically

The first time I reported, I did so on paper. Not only did I have to look up each CLE online to ensure it had actually received credit, but I waited until the bitter end to do so. Since I had misunderstood the start of my reporting period, it really wasn't the bitter end; I had counted three years starting from graduation, rather than three years starting from the July 1 following bar admission and had an extra year.

In the meantime, the reporting system changed and while paper is still acceptable, rather than keeping track for three years and sending a master list of CLE's attended, it's now possible to report as you take CLE's. We were each sent a letter with authorization to use the webpage and it took me awhile to get around to trying. So long that I had to ask for a new copy of the letter. There's no telling what I did with the original copy.

Once you sign in, you either enter the event code, which is a multi-digit number, and click the radial button for attendance. After that, an affidavit message pops up and you certify attendance of the CLE. Event codes are only available at the time of attendance if the course has been previously approved. Not all CLE's will be approved prior to your attendance; some will not be approved until much later.

You can search by date or sponsoring organization. Sponsors may not be who you would guess; I had attended a Roy Adams seminar, sponsored by two major corporations. I think it was under Roy Adams and the only reason I figured it out was because I knew the date on which I had attended. A human rights organization has a couple of different programs, but CLE's under one program are listed as being sponsored by the law firm at which the lunch takes place; under the other, they appear as sponsored by the organization itself.

One of my colleagues had initially planned to continue reporting on paper, but eventually decided to use the electronic format. He assumes that all CLE's he attends will receive credit. Because I saw a message on a website indicating that one of their programs had not received credit, I believe it when I see it.