Washington Lawyer - September 2019 - 26

"We have a unique Bar that's become international," says Andrew Siff,
principal attorney at Siff & Associates, PLLC and vice chair of the D.C. Bar
Continuing Legal Education Committee. "All states that require attorneys
to take CLE certify and approve our program, which speaks to the quality.
We're going to the highest standard and asking that of our faculty, too."
The CLE Program offers more than 200 classes designed to keep attorneys
current and competent in the law, and attendees attest to their value. James
D. Bishop, director of the Catholic Charities Legal Network who recently
attended a professional responsibility course, says he came out of the class
with new knowledge.
"I feel as though there is always something new to learn so that I can stay
abreast in the legal field, especially regarding ethics and representing
clients," Bishop says. "I come out with better knowledge about what my
ethical obligations are to the clients I serve."
Bethany Fisher, attorney-advisor at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA), has attended half a dozen CLE classes through the D.C. Bar. She notes
their benefits, particularly for D.C. attorneys licensed in other states.
"It was a great reminder that the local rules of the jurisdiction where you
practice are the ones you should adhere to. I don't think I'm alone in
believing this as someone who's from out of state but who is also working
in the District. Being familiar with the D.C. Bar and what goes on [here] is
always helpful," Fisher says.
Recognizing that 83 percent of its more than 108,000 members reported
another state jurisdiction membership to the D.C. Bar, the CLE Program started
adding webinars and on-demand classes to its programming four years ago to
make continuing education more accessible and convenient. Today, members
can choose from more than 100 on-demand programs, and nearly 80 percent

of live courses include a simultaneous webcast component, says Dennis
Cuevas, director of the D.C. Bar CLE Program.
"Technology really changes the way we deliver content," Cuevas says. "It
helps attorneys by giving them more flexibility. With on-demand [options],
they can even take a course late at night."
Unlike most other state bars, the D.C. Bar encourages but does not require
members to take continuing education courses. In fact, only one course
is obligatory - the Mandatory Course on the D.C. Rules of Professional
Conduct and District of Columbia Practice, a class that attorneys must take
within 12 months of their admission to the Bar.
Launched almost 25 years ago, the Mandatory Course was only available in
person and proved too costly to both the D.C. Bar (which rented space at
the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center and provided
food and beverages) and its members (who had to travel to the nation's
capital, sometimes from as far as Korea and Europe, just to sit for the course).
Those days are gone. Members now have the option to take the course
online anywhere in the world. That decisive move helped the CLE Program
win the 2019 Frederick B. Abramson Award for Best Bar Project of the Year.
"We have made it so much easier for members to fulfill this requirement,"
Cuevas says. "Offering it online means that our members do not have to
take time away from work or their family just for this course."
Of the 321 members who registered for the Mandatory Course in January
2019, for example, 278 took advantage of the online format. Siff describes
the course's online launch as "seamless." "It was an impressive orchestration
for something that's saving the Bar lots of money and making it accessible
for all of our members."

"Technology really changes the
way we deliver content. It helps
attorneys by giving them more
flexibility.With on-demand
[options], they can even take
a course late at night."
DENNIS CUEVAS
Director, D.C. Bar CLE Program

26 WASHINGTON LAWYER

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SEPTEMBER 2019

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https://www.dcbar.org/
Washington Lawyer - September 2019

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