NCAJ CLE Hasn’t Missed a Beat Despite the Pandemic Challenges

January is a time for resolutions and hope for new beginnings. January (and February) are also prime time for CLE programming across North Carolina. Despite the challenges we are all facing due to the COVID-19 pandemic, NCAJ continues to offer a full line-up of programs including employment law, family law, DWI, ethics, and the annual Disbursements program. The past year has been unlike anything we have ever experienced, but with the help of our members, NCAJ has been able to continue offering quality continuing education that members can access from their home or office.

Top 10 CLEs of 2020
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1. Disbursements 2020: All the Bits and Pieces
2. 27th Annual Workplace Torts & Workers’ Comp
3. Second Annual NCAJ Diversity & Inclusion Conference
4. Advanced Family Law Trial Skills
5. Litigating the Truck Collision Case
6. Maximizing the Value of Your TBI Case: Tips from the Masters
7. 2020 Criminal Law Case Update
8. Civil Masters 2020
9. Racial Justice in North Carolina: Zealous Advocacy in the Face of Resistance
10. Ethics Hot Issues 2020

For the past year, NCAJ leadership and CLE staff have worked to create the NCAJ Skills Academy. The skills academy was designed to train the next generation of trial lawyers with on-your-feet, practical instruction. Skills Academy volunteers are also lending their expertise to Trial Briefs articles that will be released in conjunction with our live CLE programs. The pandemic added an extra layer of complexity to the launch of these programs in September 2020. The program chairs and CLE staff have worked diligently to ensure that attendees receive top-notch instruction. With the use of online breakout rooms and other technology we have been able to offer interactive experiences to our members. Our latest Skills Academy programs on discovery and evidence for civil and criminal defense practitioners were very well received. 

Prior to the pandemic, the NCAJ adopted a Strategic Plan that includes a focus on analyzing our current CLE learning management system (LMS; the software the hosts our online content) along with considering other potential products on the market. CLE staff met with various LMS providers and have selected a system that will streamline the member experience and make NCAJ’s CLE content easier to access and navigate. Now, more than ever, it is important for NCAJ to stay on top of advancements in online education. We hope to have the new system up and running by late spring. In the meantime, members can access our extensive library of on-demand offerings to take programs anytime and anywhere. 

While we cannot currently come together and network in the ways we have before, we hope to see many familiar faces during our upcoming programming. CLE is not only a way to sharpen your skills and stay abreast of changes in the law, but also a way to stay connected with one another. We are so grateful to our volunteers for continuing to craft so many excellent opportunities for our members, and grateful to our members for continuing to choose NCAJ to meet their annual CLE requirements. 

Alex Rogers is the director of NCAJ’s Continuing Legal Education program. She has been with NCAJ for four years. Rogers also serves as the staff liaison for the Education Committee, the New Lawyers Division, the Legal Assistants Division, and the Family Law section. She is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Elon University School of Law.