What You Need to Know About CLE in New Mexico
Continuing Legal Education—more commonly referred to by the acronym CLE—is a term applied to courses of study which serve to keep attorneys and legal professionals abreast of recent developments in their area of the law, as well as to ensure their professional ethical obligations are being met. To put it concisely, CLE is an important part of maintaining your career as a legal professional.
In the state of New Mexico, CLE courses for attorneys can typically be found through the New Mexico Supreme Court’s website, as well as individual law firms that offer in-house CLE opportunities, and other third-party vendors. Through websites and advertisements, lawyers can conveniently complete their educational requirements through online courses, as well as forums, workshops, and in-person programs that provide one-on-one instruction.
As you can probably suspect, CLE is not a new concept. In fact, it has been around for quite some time. Essentially , CLE is an extension of the idea that legal professionals must remain qualified for their positions—not only when they are hired but also throughout their careers. In other words, CLE is both the legal and ethical responsibility of attorneys to stay in up-to-date with the latest knowledge and requirements of their field.
Naturally, there is a good reason for this. First and foremost, it helps to improve the quality of services provided to clients. Secondly, CLE is an excellent way to keep track of the many changes and advances that occur within the legal profession at a rapid pace. In addition, CLE helps to maintain the high standards to which lawyers and other legal professionals are held.
In some instances, failure to complete CLE courses to meet your state requirements can result in disbarment or losing your license to practice law. This is why it is essential that you understand your state’s CLE requirements and do your best to fulfill them on time. The goal is to continue developing your knowledge and experience long after you have completed your educational requirements to become an attorney.
Continuing Legal Education Requirements in New Mexico
The New Mexico State Bar requires attorneys to complete 12 hours of continuing legal education every year. Lawyers must also take 2 ethics credits, 1 of which must be credited towards the mandatory topic of Professionalism and Civility. Attorneys can carry over up to 4 general credits and 1 ethics credit into the next compliance year. New Mexico attorneys can earn all 12 credits through online courses available through the New Mexico Bar Association. Additionally, members of the NMBA can also retrieve them through their MyNMA account. The reporting period for attorneys in this state is July 1st to June 30th. Every attorney must fulfill their requirements prior to the beginning of their birth month.
How to Obtain CLE Credits
The Board of Bar Examiners of New Mexico offers opportunities for licensed legal professionals to meet their CLE requirements in various ways. While live seminars, webinars, and workshops provide the most popular options, other alternatives such as online courses and non-legal courses can also earn CLE credit.
Depending on the specific activity, the amount of credit available can vary. For instance, attending a traditional live seminar or workshop allows attendees to earn 12 credits per day. In this setting, high interaction with other legal professionals and faculty members is encouraged, being considered integral to the educational experience.
Alternatively, online or other distance learning options such as teleconferences area also available. Online courses can often be completed on your own schedule, up to the 36 credit cap. Like live courses, these are typically accepted for a maximum of 12 hours in one day.
Other activities that the New Mexico Board of Bar Examiners accepts include teaching a qualifying course, participating in a pro bono activity, publishing a relevant written work, or completing a non-legal course in an area related to the practice of law.
In general, while most of the activities listed here are accepted on some level, some exceptions do apply. For example, a pub quiz may grant CLE credit but a bingo night for charity is not accepted.
Most Popular CLE Providers in New Mexico
A number of organizations offer an extensive range of New Mexico continuing legal education courses. The New Mexico Board of Legal Specialization oversees the State Bar of New Mexico, which offers a wide variety of approved continuing legal education through live programs as well as online modules and seminars through its website, the NM CLE Portal. You’ll find multiple options for every area of practice, from appraisals for family law practitioners to wills, trusts, and probate essentials. Other dedicated sources of CLE include the New Mexico Association of Defense Counsel, which features an archive of nearly 400 hours for personal injury, auto litigation, premises liability, insurance bad faith, employment law, and other areas related to workers’ compensation and indeed to the defense of any type of claim in New Mexico, nursing home abuse and neglect, and a broad range of other cases. The New Mexico Criminal Defense Lawyers Association offers fewer recorded CLEs, but includes many outstanding live programs, like Getting Off OUI-DWI Charges and Withstanding Blow & Breath Tests, plus topics on the science behind eyewitness misidentification and DUI breath tests. The New Mexico Federal Bar Association puts out a biannual schedule of seminars for emphasizes federal court practice throughout the state.
Because New Mexico has only a small number of specialized areas of law, lawyers often practice in multiple specialties. CLE providers have responded by offering a wide array of video conferencing and streaming CLEs for particular fields, while making them accessible to members of all areas of practice. Among these are online courses for New Mexico District Court Motor Vehicle Injuries and Licensing and Business Taxation. So regardless of whether you specialize in bankruptcy, divorce, the defense of serious criminal charges, the drafting of sophisticated contracts, or any other area of practice, you will be able to find a New Mexico CLE provider that will illuminate your path.
Advantages of Keeping Your CLE Current
Safeguarding your professional law license and securing your future starts with fulfilling your CLE requirements. Keeping abreast of your CLE obligations, and completing them in a timely manner, demonstrates your commitment to being on top of the law and to serving your clients’ needs.
Going beyond the regulatory floor While the New Mexico CLE rules essentially lay out a minimum standard of practice, going above the minimum can offer substantial benefits, both personally and professionally. The benefits of fulfilling New Mexico CLE requirements, and going beyond them, can include:
The bottom line In the past, lawyers could be guaranteed work by their reputation and a network of colleagues and professionals . Today, clients are better educated, more informed and are faced with an influx of different ways to procure legal services. To maintain a competitive edge, lawyers must continually seek out new knowledge and experiences to help their clients navigate unprecedented challenges, emerging issues and new technologies.
The good news is that you can establish yourself and your brand as the "go-to" New Mexico lawyer for your specialty area. Whether you want to represent clients in general litigation, or you want to cater to a specific type of client, you can be the foremost authority who helps those clients understand their legal rights and responsibilities. Mastering your New Mexico CLE requirements, and going beyond them, can help you realize this goal.
New Mexico Lawyers: Issues With CLE
Due to a variety of factors, such as time and cost restraints, many lawyers in New Mexico may find it difficult to fulfill the state’s CLE requirements. The following provides an overview of common challenges that attorneys face in meeting CLE deadlines and requirements as well as strategies for getting past them.
Lawyers may have difficulty finding time to complete their CLE requirements amidst the demands of a busy legal career. However, there are a number of strategies for gaining better control of your time. Consider these tips: No doubt, the cost of CLE can be an issue for every lawyer. That said, there is a way to get everything you need for your CLE needs at an affordable price. With approximately 85 percent of CLE programming now offered online, finding convenient CLE courses isn’t an issue. By taking the time management tips into consideration and controlling your costs, you can easily meet your CLE requirements by accessing high-quality legal education through the internet.
The Next Phase of CLE
Future trends in Continuing Legal Education in New Mexico will be shaped by technological advances such as the growing acceptance of online education and the increasing use of interactive formats. The increased accessibility of CLE through the advent of time management apps and study aids also plays a role.
Technological advancements have a way of shaping the landscape of various industries, and the field of Continuing Legal Education is no different. The growing acceptance of online CLE and remote study signifies a shift toward a more flexible education system that relies on technology to meet its goals. However, there are also changes to the regulations and rules set forth for CLE programs that will continue to evolve. The ongoing adaptations are a by-product of the constant flux that defines industries like law .
The state of New Mexico has been an early adopter of the trend of offering online courses that satisfy CLE requirements, with 6 hours of live or physical attendance being included in the New Mexico CLE regulations as of January 2013. Online CLE will become increasingly popular among professionals, as access to online resources will only get easier. Also, however, expect the regulations to provide stricter standards on approved materials – including video and interactive formats in future years. Although this may be the case, it’s also clear that flexible study options will continue to trend upwards, allowing time-challenged legal professionals the opportunity to fulfil their responsibilities to their clients and to themselves through various forms of study.