Miss. R. & Regul. Mand. Cont. Leg. Educ., r. 4, Regulations

As amended through October 31, 2024

Regulations

4.1 The following standards will govern the approval of continuing legal education activities by the Commission.

4.2 The activity must be effectively open to all attorneys licensed to practice law in the State of Mississippi, unless offered by a governmental department or agency for employees of the governmental department or agency. By making an application for approval by the Commission, the seminar sponsor consents to the seminar being listed on the calendar of upcoming CLE events disseminated by the Commission.

4.3 The activity must have significant intellectual or practical content and its primary objective must be to increase the participant's professional competence as an attorney.

4.4 The activity must deal primarily with matters related to the practice of law, professional responsibility or ethical obligations of attorneys.

4.5 The activity must be offered by a sponsor having substantial, recent experience in offering continuing legal education or demonstrated ability to organize and present effectively continuing legal education. Demonstrated ability arises partly from the extent to which individuals with legal training or educational experience are involved in the planning, instruction and supervision of the activity.

4.6 The activity itself must be conducted by an individual or group qualified by practical or academic experience. The program, including the named advertised participants, must be conducted substantially as planned, subject to emergency withdrawals and alterations.

4.7 Thorough, high quality, readable, and carefully prepared written materials must be made available to all participants at or before the time the course is presented, unless the absence of such materials is recognized as reasonable and approved by the Commission; mere outline without citations or explanatory notations will not be sufficient. Materials in an electronic format may be acceptable in lieu of printed material as long as the attorney consents to receive such material. Printed material must be made available to those attorneys for whom the electronic format is not satisfactory.

4.8 The activity must be conducted in a physical setting conducive to learning.

4.9 Activities offered by any sponsor must provide a qualified on-site moderator and question-and-answer session. Telephone seminars must be conducted "live," not prerecorded, and must provide a question-and-answer session. As a minimum the activity must consist of not less than one (1) hour of actual instruction.

4.10 Each online program or online seminar will be reviewed for approval on a case by case basis. The course content, interactivity, as well as the effectiveness of the delivery method will be considered in the approval process. Applications for approval must be submitted by the sponsor and submitted 30 days prior to the beginning date of the program. Applications will not be approved retroactively. Sponsors must be able to verify attorney attendance and the number of hours attended. Attorney attendance must be reported to the Mississippi Commission on CLE immediately following the conclusion of the program.

4.11 Activities that cross academic lines, such as an accounting-tax seminar, may be considered for approval.

4.12 At the conclusion of an approved program or activity, each participating attorney must be given the opportunity to complete an evaluation questionnaire addressing the quality, effectiveness and usefulness of the particular activity. Within thirty (30) days of the conclusion of the activity, a summary of the results of the questionnaire must be forwarded to the Commission. If requested, copies of the questionnaires must also be forwarded to the Commission. Sponsors must maintain the questionnaires for a period of 90 days following a program pending a request for submission of them to the Commission.

4.13 The costs of the program itself to the participating attorney, apart from optional meals, lodging, travel, etc., must be reasonable considering the subject matter, instructional level, etc.

4.14 Continuing legal education activities sponsored by the following organizations (hereinafter referred to as Sponsors) are presumptively approved for credit, provided the standards set out in Regulations 4.1 through 4.13 are met.

Abbott & Weems "Recent Mississippi Law"

Accredited law schools (ABA or AALS)

Alabama Institute for CLE

American Academy of Hospital Attorneys

American Academy of Judicial Education

American Agricultural Law Association

American Association of Railroad Trial Counsel

American Bar Association and Bar Sections

American Bankers Association (legal programs only)

American Business Law Association

American Board of Trial Advocates

American College of Mortgages Attorneys

American College of Probate Counsel

American College of Real Estate Lawyers

American College of Trial Lawyers

American Corporate Counsel Association

American Institute for Justice

American Institute on Federal Taxation

American Intellectual Property Law Association

American Judicature Society

American Law Institute

American Society for Law and Medicine

Association of Insurance Attorneys

Association of Trial Lawyers of America

Bar Associations of Other States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and Trust Territories

Boackle, K.F.

Bureau of National Affairs

Central Mississippi Legal Services

CLE International

Commercial Law League of America Fund for Public Education

Construction Education Management Corp. (legal programs only)

Copyright Society of the U.S.A.

Council of School Board Attorneys, MS School Boards Association

Court Practice Institute, Inc.

Credit Union National Association, Inc. (legal programs only)

Cumberland School of Law Institute for CLE

Defense Research Institute

East Mississippi Rural Legal Services

Eastern Mineral Law Foundation

Edison Electric Institute

Federal Bar Association

Federal Energy Bar Association

Federal Insurance Counsel

Federal Judicial Center

Federal Publications, Inc.

Food Marketing Institute

Government Institutes, Inc.

Gulf Coast Law Institute

International Association of Defense Counsel

International Association of Insurance Council

Jackson Young Lawyers Association

Law Journal Seminars Press

Legal Education Institute

Legal Sections, agency programs - U.S. and state government

Library of Congress - Legislative Service

Library of Congress (American Law Division)

Louisiana Trial Lawyers Association

Magnolia Bar Association

Maritime Law Association

Medi-Legal Institute

Memphis Bar Association

Mississippi Association of County Board Attorneys

Mississippi Bankruptcy Conference

Mississippi Bar Association, and Bar Sections, Local, County and Regional Bar Associations in Mississippi

Mississippi Chapter, Federal Bar Association

Mississippi College School of Law

Mississippi Defense Lawyers Association

Mississippi Institute of Continuing Legal Education

Mississippi Judicial College

Mississippi Law Institute

Mississippi Legal Services Coalition

Mississippi Municipal Attorneys Association

Mississippi Oil and Gas Lawyers Association

Mississippi Pro Bono Project

Mississippi Prosecutors College

Mississippi Society of Certified Public Accountants

Mississippi Tax Institute

Mississippi Trial Lawyers Association

Montgomery County, Maryland Bar Foundation

Motor Carrier Lawyers Association

National Association of Bond Lawyers

National Association of Attorneys General

National Association of College and University Attorneys

National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers

National Association of Railroad Trial Counsel

National Bar Association

National Business Institute

National College of District Attorneys

National College of Juvenile Justice

National Contract Management Association

National District Attorneys Association

National Employment Law Institute

National Health Lawyers Association

National Institute for Trial Advocacy

National Institute of Municipal Law Officers

National Judicial College

National Legal Aid and Defender Association

National Organization of Social Security Claimants' Representatives

National Practice Institute

National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (legal programs only)

New Mexico Trial Lawyers

New Orleans Orthopaedic Clinic (legal programs only)

New York University School of Continuing Education in Law & Taxation

North Carolina Academy of Trial Lawyers

North Mississippi Rural Legal Services

Norton Institutes (CRR Publishing Co.)

National Association of Bond Lawyers

Patent Resources Group, Inc.

Practicing Law Institute

Prentice Hall Law and Business, Inc.

Professional Education Systems, Inc.

Professional Trial Lawyers Institute, Inc.

Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation

Securities Industry Association (legal programs only)

South Mississippi Legal Services

Southeast Mississippi Legal Services

Southeastern Bankruptcy Law Institute, Inc.

Southern Federal Tax Institute, Inc.

Southwest Mississippi Legal Services

Southwestern Legal Foundation

Tennessee Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers

Tennessee Trial Lawyers Association

The National Center for Justice and the Rule of Law

The Southern California Tax & Estate Planning Forum

The Southern Trust School (Alabama)

Transportation Lawyers Association

Uniform Commercial Code Institute

University of Mississippi Center for Continuing Legal Education

U.S. League of Savings Association (legal programs only)

U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Legal Education

Veterans Administration (Office of General Counsel)

Westcott Communications

Other Sponsors may be added to this list as their identities and programs are confirmed by the Commission.

4.15 The Sponsor of an approved CLE activity may announce in informational literature or program materials as follows:

"THIS COURSE OR A PORTION THEREOF HAS BEEN APPROVED BY THE MISSISSIPPI COMMISSION ON CONTINUING LEGAL EDUCATION FOR A MAXIMUM OF _______HOURS OF CREDIT."

The sponsor of a CLE activity which has applied for but not received approval prior to the printing of informational literature or program materials may announce as follows:

"THE SPONSOR HAS APPLIED TO THE MISSISSIPPI COMMISSION ON CONTINUING LEGAL EDUCATION FOR APPROVAL OF THIS COURSE OR A PORTION THEREOF FOR A MAXIMUM OF _______HOURS OF CREDIT."

4.16 The Commission may at any time reevaluate a program and revoke approval of the Sponsor or of a particular seminar.

4.17 Any Sponsor not included in Regulation 4.14 above, desiring approval of a course, program, or other activity, will apply to the Commission by submitting a required application form and supporting documentation no less than forty-five (45) days prior to the date for which the course or program is scheduled. The Commission will advise the applicant in writing by mail within thirty (30) days of the receipt of the completed application whether the activity is approved or disapproved. Applicants denied approval of a program or activity may appeal such a decision by submitting a letter of appeal to the Commission within fifteen (15) days of the receipt of the notice of the disapproval.

Miss. R. & Regul. Mand. Cont. Leg. Educ., r. 4, Regulations

Amended effective 8/1/1995; Regulations 4.7, 4.9 and 4.10 amended effective 12/9/2004 to allow limited use of approved on-line programs; amended effective 7/1/2009 to add two approved sponsors to Regulation 4.14.