continuing legal education
Ka Wah C
asked:
"I work for an attorney and he advised that he is not aware of any. However, I would like to make sure. Please let me know. I appreciate your help."
Question posted courtesy of:
raichasays replied:
"There is mandatory CLE for attorneys qualified as specialists and for in house counsel with limited licenses."
CPA2B
asked:
"I recieved a contract for employment that I am reviewing for one of my candidates (I am a recruiter). The candidate is a physcian, whom MUST attend CME's in order to maintain liscensure. The contract stipulates that there is no paid vaction, which is rare but I have seen. What I can not believe is the employer will also not pay for any CME classes, and the time off for CME is also non-paid. The contract is for a hospital in CA. Does this sound legal? I ask because in order to maintain ANY license (law, medicine, CPA, etc.) you have to go to continuing education, thus should there at least be an allowance for time?Thank you in advance."
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leysarob replied:
"But it's your license that benefits you as well ... if the hospital pays for the education and you leave for another job they are out that money. You got ahead on them ... Just my opinion, though, I don't know about the laws in California which are generally very pro-employee. Check with the state's Department of Labor website to be certain."
Pyar replied:
"I don't believe they have a legal obligation here. That does not mean it's ethical. I would suggest you bring this to the attention of an attorney."
robert w replied:
"legal?employer does not have to provide time or money for CE . there is not 'laws' that say it is needed.if doc accepts, contract it is legal.that is doc's call. so don't worry.allowance may be built into contract."
hugsandhissyfits replied:
"My hubbys place of work does not pay for it either.He tends to send away for the free test.Also online offers a ton of free ones.Plus there are tons of ce courses at the beach you can write off family vacation.Destin,Fl usually offers Classes/drug reps poor by the truck load to give freebies in may memorial day weekend where you can go for few days and knock out a ton of hours.You can find better offers though.If you work in the hills of wva etc..it will normally pay off school loans also.If you like working in the country...lolI know school loans add up!!"
Phoenix (((Debra))) replied:
"Since you haven't gotten any other answers, I'll give my thoughts as a former HR rep for an internal medicine dept. An employer certainly doesn't HAVE to pay for your training. It might benefit them to do so if you are a valuable employee. It is allowing you to maintain a job to pay for your own CMEs, so it is to YOUR benefit, more so than the employer. You can always be replaced with someone who has maintained their training.In our dept. (NOT in CA), we did not pay for the courses, but allowed paid time off for them. It's completely up to the employer in the states I'm familiar with, but you'll have to check with CA's licensure board. The employer IS responsible for making sure their employees stay licensed while practicing in their clinic."
Star replied:
"It does sound legal (unfortunately). The employer isn't required to pay for any CME classes or provide any paid time off for the time (unless the employer has a collective-bargaining agreement [union agreement] that provides for such a benefit and the prospective employee would be a member of said union.Information re: CMEs in CA can be found here:A FAQ:What if I cannot afford the cost involved in taking CME courses?Hospitals have lunch meetings that are approved for Category 1 credit and offered to all physicians. Physicians having trouble finding Category 1 courses may call the CMA for assistance at (415) 882-5183. (An article with suggested CME opportunities is available upon request.)Also, can any of the CMEs be self-study? If so, perhaps the candidate can do some of those.See:For attorneys, 1/2 of the hours can be self study and for pharmacists, apparently all the hours can be self-study.The paid CME and/or paid time off to attend a CME would be a good benefit for the candidate. Have you thought about negotiating for it?FYI - many law firms do not offer to pay for MCLEs for their attorneys or pay for membership to local county bar associations where they can get the MCLEs for free. Fortunately, there are local law libraries which have MCLEs for free.So, perhaps, the candidate is already a member of a local medical association that offers these for free and/or reduced cost.Hope this helps...."
SweetSuccess
asked:
"The legal profession has established minimum requirements for attorneys, including education and licensure, but there are no such requirements for paralegals. Some people have suggested that in order to work as a paralegal, a person must have a college degree and be licensed by the state. If a state license is required, obtaining the license would most likely require passing a state-administered examination, plus taking continuing education courses.What do you think? What are the pros and cons?"
Question posted courtesy of:
MLaw replied:
"Florida has recently adopted regulations governing & setting educational standards for "paralegals.""
Bill replied:
"Fine with me, I have the degree.Just giving someone a LEXIS password and saying "you're a paralegal" won't cut it."
alex42z replied:
"Paralegals are skilled assistants to lawyers but they do not give professional advice and consumers do not rely on their professional skills. There is no reason for a license to be required and no reason for any governmental involvement. However, it's a fact that, in the real world, there are many hack lawyers who employ paralegals to do volume-type work with clients in bankruptcy, social security, and similar cases in which the paralegal routinely crosses the line and functions as a lawyer. This is illegal and, in my opinion, should remain so.Personally,"
Tom K replied:
"What type of paralegal? Specialized training leading to certification in a specific paralegal field would be of more use than a general degree or a one-size-fits-all license. How would a course in property abstracting help someone in collections? That is similar to saying someone is an engineer. There are hundreds of types of engineering, each with specific requirements."
reallypablo replied:
"Personally, I wish that either all attorneys were required to carry insurance, or the state supreme courts would publish who carries insurance and who doesn't. As to licensing paras: whatever. It's the attorney's name on the document. The attorney is responsible for what is in it, not the para. Therefore, the attorney will either 1) train the para sufficiently, 2) triple-check all of the para's work, 3) only hire experienced paras, or 4) soon be facing malpractice suits."
Margie replied:
"Here in California, the Business & Professions code specifies the requirements for a paralegal or legal assistant.Thing is, it's ultimately the attorney's responsibility and that's why there aren't more laws regulating paralegals. The attorney is the one who practices law and it's his (or her) duty to ensure that the legal work done is appropriate- this is why there aren't more laws on paralegals. Also, most attorneys don't give a hoot what kind of credentials a paralegal has-- just as long as that person is reliable and puts out a good product. I personally know of multiple-degreed paralegals who SUCK, and those with no degree which bring home 6 figure salaries because they are just that good.Ultimately, it's up to the attorney--he's the one with the license to practice law."
Andre
asked:
"Do the big law firms also pay for the continuing legal education of their attorneys?"
Question posted courtesy of:
Star replied:
"Bar review courses - maybe; but most of the time, one is only a law clerk with a contingent offer upon passing the bar exam (and one has already taken the bar exam)CLE = yes, but not all classes. Most law firms have "firm passports" through certain continuing education programs (ex. CEB in California). Also, many large law firms have their own in-house CLE courses."
Free and affordable continuing education courses on insurance, legal, accounting, engineering, medical, nursing, dental, pharmacy, psychology, and continuing education loans
In the U.S., the individual states have authority over nursing practice and its scope. Nurses may be licensed in more than one state, either by examination or endorsement of a license issued by another state. Licenses must be periodically renewed. Some states require continuing education in order to renew licenses.
As many financial firms are finding, offering Minimum Continuing Legal Education (MCLE) credits to attorneys helps them increase their number of high net worth clients. Currently, 43 states require attorney’s licensed in their state to obtain MCLE credits on an annual or biannual basis.
Lawline.com's new Referral Program allows attorneys to refer colleagues and friends and receive $100 Worth of Free Continuing Legal Education. In addition, those people that are referred will receive 15% off of their initial purchase.
Upon Completion of this activity, participants should be better able to:1) Describe the medical legal implications of CAD and digital mammography2) Discuss the MRI Breast Lexicon3) Explain how to perform a MRI-guided breast biopsy4) Improve breast imaging interpretation skills
