As part of the California State Bar's MCLE requirements, Attorneys and Paralegals must certify that they have completed four hours of Legal Ethics MCLE credit every three years.
California Attorneys and Paralegals can satisfy all of their required MCLE credits by completing any four of the following (ten) self-study MCLE quizzes.
Internet For Lawyers offers California Attorneys & Paralegals who wish to complete all of their Legal Ethics MCLE requirement online a package price of only $60.00 to complete all four hours here. You may elect to complete any of the four exercises listed below. (This is a $20.00 savings over the regular price of $20.00 per hour.) Click here for more information.
Completing any of the exercises below earns you one hour of California self-study Legal ethics Continuing Legal Education credit.You can select any four of the following self-study MCLE exercises to complete your entire California Continuing Legal Education requirement of four hours of Legal Ethics credit and pay only $15/credit-hour.
(Note that some of these Legal Ethics MCLE exercises have reading material included in the quiz, while others have a separate article associated with them.)
Legal Ethics Considerations for Lawyers' Use of Cloud Computing Services
We often get questions about the security of "cloud computing" services like Google Apps and whether that security is tight enough for lawyers to use them. Google Apps, for example, meets the security standards put in place for the online storage of government agencies' information set out in the Federal Information Security Management Act of 2000 (FISMA 44 U.S.C. § 3541, et seq.). The ABA recently adopted changes to the Model Rules of Professional Conduct dealing with the question of whether and how lawyers might deal with "confidentiality issues arising from technology." The changes were, "designed to give lawyers more guidance regarding their confidentiality- related obligations when using technology." This excercise provides a compilation and overview of the existing Ethics Opinions produced, to date, by Bar Associations around the country.
Read the Article | Go to the Quiz
ABA Formal Opinion 10-457 Dealing With Lawyer Websites
As early as 1996, many state bar associations began issuing formal (or advisory) ethics opinions on the ethical uses of Internet technology. Many of those opinions relating to Web sites and online communications apply the advertising rules that already exist for print advertising. In the late Summer of 2010, the American Bar Association issued its Formal Opinion 10-457 discussing ethical concerns for lawyers who maintain Web sites.
Client Service: The Ethical Case for Keeping Clients Satisfied
If you ask most attorneys whether their clients are satisfied, the vast majority would, of course, say "yes." If you then ask them "what makes you so sure?" the responses would typically range from "They don’t complain" and "They’re nice to me" to "They pay their bills" or "They continue to do business with us." A closer examination of these reasons, however, reveals that such client behavior hardly indicates satisfaction.
Read the Article | Go to the Quiz
How to Network Comfortably and Ethically
Everyone knows that, much like diet and exercise, networking is good for you and that, similarly, there are lots of excuses for avoiding it. This exercise applies specific Rules of Professional Conduct to effective networking strategies.
Read the Article | Go to the Quiz
Contacting Unrepresented Persons via Social Networking Sites - New York State Bar and Philadelphia Bar Ethics Opinions
More and more attorneys and judges are using social media. Some use it for its intended purpose of social networking (and, for the lesser intended purpose of marketing). Others take advantage of the information contained in these sites for an unintended purpose - investigative research. Legal pundits have argued (online and in print) about the ethical issues for attorneys utilizing this information in the matters they handle. Few Bar Associations have opined on the topic. Two exceptions are the Philadelphia Bar and the New York State Bar. They addressed the specific questions of whether it is ethical for an attorney to ask a non-lawyer assistant to "friend" an unrepresented witness even if the non-lawyer uses her real name but without also disclosing the reasons for making the request? Learn which ethics rules that these Ethics Opinions point out for potential violation by this activity.
Read the Article | Go to the Quiz
Contacting Unrepresented Persons via Social Networking Sites - New York City Bar Ethics Opinion
The Association of the Bar of the City of New York considered a question similar to the one presented to the New York State Bar and the Philadelphia Bar. The New York City Bar's Committee on Professional and Judicial Ethics' Opinion 2010-2 (Sept. 2010) concluded that there would be no violation of the rules of professional conduct if an attorney or her agent uses her real name and profile to send a "friend request" to obtain information from an unrepresented person's social networking website without also disclosing the reasons for making the request. Learn the New York City Bar's reasoning behind their decision.
Read the Article | Go to the Quiz
California Legal Ethics Quiz; Legal Advertising Should You or Shouldn't You?
There are numerous ethical considerations one makes in the day to day practice of law. While some seem to follow simple common sense, others are a bit less clear.
This ten question quiz will help you learn where to easily find answers to your ethical questions utilizing free State Bar and academic resources on the Internet.
The Ethics of Attorney Web Sites in California
The Bar's standing Committee on Professional Responsibility & Conduct has issued a Formal Opinion addressing ethical issues related to attorneys announcing their services via Internet web sites. Whether you already have your own web site or are just beginning to consider launching one, this ten question quiz will help you learn where to easily find answers to ethical questions regarding your web site.
Adhering to the CA State Bar Rules of Professional Conduct
The California State Bar's Rules of Professional Conduct lay out very specific guidelines to regulate the professional conduct of its members - through discipline. These rules have been adopted by the Board of Governors of the Bar and approved by the Supreme Court of California pursuant to Business & Professions Code Sections 6076 and 6077 to protect the public and to promote respect and confidence in the legal profession.
This quiz is designed to give you an overview of some of the highlights of these rules to keep in mind as you build your practice.
Ethical Requirements of Attorney Oversight & Supervision of Paralegal Staff in California
Recent changes to the California Rules of Professional Conduct spell out VERY specific requirements for minimum continuing legal education for Paralegals AND the responsibilities of Attorneys with whom they work.
This quiz is designed to give Paralegals AND Attorneys an overview of how these rules affect EACH of them.
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