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spring 2003 vol. 8 no. 4
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Tracking Those CLE Credits

Norma Hackler, LAD Coordinator

The task of tracking one’s attendance and completion of continuing legal education (CLE) programs has become a monumental task for most legal assistants. Different CLE attendance requirements among the various certification programs have become a maze to those individuals who have successfully completed more than one certification examination. Hopefully, this article will assist you in keeping up with the different educational seminars you have attended.
First, the most important task is to keep a copy of all brochures, attendance certificates and any other materials issued by the sponsoring agent of the seminar proving your attendance at a CLE event. Build a personal CLE file by year of attendance. Include in this file any self study [CLE hours] that may be accepted as continuing legal education by the various certifying entities. If you have any questions regarding the number of CLE hours you receive for a particular seminar, please contact the sponsoring agent within the six months following the event. As time goes by, it may be difficult for the sponsoring agent to offer assistance because of the ability to keep records on file. It is up to you to make the contact within a reasonable period of time. The sponsoring agent is not responsible for keeping a record of your CLE attendance.

Below is an outline of the different certifying organizations and their requirements for tracking CLE:

Texas Board of Legal Specialization (TBLS)

To prove CLE hours to TBLS, the sponsoring agent should apply for credit directly to the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. If credit is issued by TBLS, the sponsoring agent will distribute to each seminar attendee a “Certificate of CLE Attendance for Legal Assistants” at the seminar being attended. This Certificate will have a place for the number of hours attended and should be signed by the sponsoring agent. If you are a TBLS board certified legal assistant and have received a TBLS file number, you may send a copy of the certificate to the Texas Board of Legal Specialization at P. O. Box 12487, Austin, TX 78711 to be placed in your record file. Keep a copy of this certificate in your personal CLE file along with a copy of the seminar brochure. If you are not yet board certified but plan to take the board certification examination, keep this Certificate in your personal CLE file along with a copy of the CLE brochure. For more information regarding the TBLS examination and requirements, please contact TBLS at 512/453-7266 or visit their web site at www.tbls.org.

National Association of Legal Assistants (NALA)

To prove CLE hours to NALA, the sponsoring agent may or may not distribute a NALA Certificate of Attendance form to seminar attendees. Most sponsoring agents for legal assistant continuing legal education will have the forms on site. This form can be received directly from NALA and brought to the seminar by the attendee. The Certificate must be signed by the sponsoring agent at the seminar. It is wise to attach a copy of the brochure to the NALA Certificate of Attendance to forward to NALA for CLE credit hours. For more information regarding keeping track of CLE for NALA, please contact NALA at 918/587-6828 or visit their web site at www.nala.org

National Federation of Paralegal
Associations

To prove CLE hours to NFPA can be accomplished by one of two ways. The sponsoring agent may or may not forward a list of attendees to the NFPA’s continuing legal education chairperson stating your attendance at a seminar. Please ask the sponsoring agent at the seminar if they will be forwarding a list of names to NFPA for CLE credit. If the sponsoring agent does not forward a list [check with seminar sponsor on site], you may forward a copy of the brochure and any certificate of attendance that your received at the seminar. It is wise to attach a copy of the brochure to the certificate that is forwarded to NFPA for CLE credit hours. For more information regarding keeping track of CLE for NFPA, please contact NFPA at 816-941-4000 or visit their web site at www.nfpa.org

State Bar of Texas

Minimum Continuing Legal Education (MCLE) Department
As most of you are aware, the MCLE Department of the State Bar of Texas keeps track of all attorney CLE hours [this is the purpose of the MCLE Department]. This State Bar Department will also keep track of CLE hours for legal assistants who are members of the Division and who have attended a seminar that is approved for MCLE credit. In order for a seminar to be approved by the MCLE Department of the State Bar of Texas, the seminar must be targeted primarily to attorneys. Legal Assistant seminars [targeted primarily to legal assistants] will not be approved by the MCLE Department therefore they will not keep track of the CLE hours for legal assistants. If the sponsoring agent distributes the State Bar computer cards at the seminar, it will indicate the seminar was approved by the MCLE Department. If you attend a seminar targered to attorneys and has been approved for MCLE credit, please complete the MCLE computer card and return it to the staff person on site. This information will be entered into the MCLE Department computer data base. In order to receive a print-out of the CLE hours you have attended [approved by the MCLE Department], you must forward a check in the amount of $5.00 to the MCLE Department at P. O. Box 13007, Austin, TX 78711. Please call the MCLE Department at 1/800-204-2222 or 512/463-1463, ext. 2118 with any questions.

Texas Paralegal Journal © Copyright 2003 by the Legal Assistants Division, State Bar of Texas.

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