by Michele Newbern Gillis
Staff Writer
Now that the individual sections of the Jacksonville Bar Association are hosting their own Continuing Legal Education seminars, there’s no need for a specific committee to do the work.
“The way it used to be is that there was a CLE committee and it was responsible for putting together all of the CLE programs,” said JBA president Bill Joel. “Eventually, it evolved where the association would ask each of the sections and committees to put on their own CLE. We told the different sections, including Family Law, Criminal and others that one of the things we would like them to during the year is to put on their own CLE.”
Once that started, the sections took over the responsibility and there was no longer a need for a committee.
One of the requirements for being a member of The Florida Bar is that lawyers must complete 30 hours of CLE every three years to maintain their license and practice law in Florida.
“CLE helps keep us informed about latest developments in the law in our practice area and makes us better lawyers,” said Joel.
Three years ago, the JBA hired Kelley Padgitt as CLE director. She is responsible for coordinating with the sections on programs they would like to hold and submitting the speaker’s credentials and CLE material to The Florida Bar for approval.
“We have a meeting at the beginning of our fiscal year with all of the section and committee chairs,” said Padgitt. “Before, the sections and committees used to put them on and the committee would help them get organized. I do the administrative support on it. I submit the application to The Florida Bar, do the registration and send in their hours to The Florida Bar to make sure everyone gets their credit. That way it’s kind of centralized so we can keep a copy of someone’s records.”
Padgitt said it was hard for a committee to provide that type of clerical support for the lawyers.
“For a couple of years before I started working here, CLE had kind of fallen by the wayside,” said Padgitt. “We weren’t doing nearly as much locally. The bar was concentrating on other aspects of the association and not CLE.”
Padgitt said many JBA members wanted to see local CLE programs again. “It gives them time to mingle with fellow members and a lot of people really missed the live seminars,” said Padgitt. “I think a lot of people really enjoy them.”
Most Florida Bar programs are done by videotape or the Internet.
“What we try and do is provide live seminars with great speakers at a reasonable price locally,” said Joel, adding the sections are more than happy to cooperate and host the classes.
“We encourage it and people are anxious to do it,” said Joel. “We’ve had a good response this year.”
To date, the Sports and Entertainment and Family Law sections have hosted programs and various sections teamed with the D.W. Perkins Bar Association and the Christian Legal Society for a diversity seminar.
On March 24, the Professionalism Committee will host a half-day CLE at Florida Coastal School of Law. On April 22, Corporate Business and Banking will put on a half-day seminar, also at Florida Coastal, and on April 24, the Ray Ehrlich Trial Advocacy Seminar will be held at the Adam’s Mark Hotel.