Greetings Recently Admitted Vermont Attorneys –
Welcome to the Vermont Bar! We know you need to fill your first-year CLE requirements (15.0 total credit hours are required, 9.0 of which must be live instruction in Vermont practice and procedure). First, attorney licensing requirements, including CLE, are governed by the Judiciary in Vermont. They have an excellent website with all the details, and you can see that here. The VBA is a CLE provider (we don’t handle licensing), and we are dedicated to bringing you a variety of qualifying programs. We want to help you meet that first-year CLE requirement and all your subsequent CLE needs as you move forward in your career!
Top Tips for New Admittees
The number one tip we can offer is that you should start working on getting your credits ASAP after you get admitted.
Every year we hear from recent admittees who are coming up on their one-year license anniversary. They haven’t taken the nine credits of in-person instruction that they need, and sometimes there aren’t enough programs scheduled before their anniversary to meet the requirement. You can avoid this uncomfortable situation by planning ahead. We typically offer 70 or more hours of live, qualifying first-year CLEs every year with busy times in early October, late March, and late June. Few programs are offered in August or December.
Keep an eye on the VBA CLE Calendar on our website. Courses are added as they are confirmed. We also suggest that you consider taking courses that might not be in your practice areas or usual area of interest. Part of the theory behind CLE requirement is that attorneys new to Vermont practice should learn about the wide world of Vermont law.
We always have some first-year qualifying CLE programs at our big in-person meetings each year. The Annual Meeting in September, the Mid-Year Meeting in March, and the Young Lawyer’s Division Mid-Winter Thaw in Montreal in January are great opportunities to earn CLE while getting to meet other attorneys and judges. Take advantage if you can. Again, all the information is on the VBA website in the months before the big meetings.
How to Search and How to Register for Qualifying Programs
There are a couple ways to do this. You can go to our CLE calendar and, using the green filter button above the Saturday column, type an asterisk (*) in the search box and click “Search.” All qualifying programs have an asterisk at the end of the title.
This search will bring up all qualified programming with live (moderated with inter-activity) courses listed first, and self-study (non-moderated without inter-activity – digital library recordings) listed next. Click on any title for more information about the program and to register. HERE will you find a current listing of courses approved and certified to meet the requirements of Rule 12(a)(1) and Rule 15(c If you have questions, email us at info@vtbar.org.
Thanks for your attention. Don’t hesitate to reach out with questions. We hope to see you at a webinar soon and to meet you in person at one of our in-person meetings. Again, welcome to the practice of law in Vermont.
Kim Velk,
Director of Education and Communication.