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Government of India
Ministry of Law and Justice
(Department of Justice)

Global Practices in Continuing Legal Education:

Emerging Platforms for Professional Development
of Advocates

Centre of Excellence in Public Policy and Government

Indian Institute of Management Kashipur
Kashipur 244713 Uttarakhand
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About this report

This report is the outcome of a research project funded by Department of Justice,

Ministry of Law and Justice, Government of India under the Plan Scheme for Action
Research and Studies on Judicial Reforms to promote research and studies on the
issues related to the National Mission for Justice Delivery and Legal Reforms.

About the Action Research and Studies on Judicial Reforms

Under the Scheme for Action Research and Studies on Judicial Reforms, financial
assistance is provided for undertaking action research (evaluation / monitoring
studies, organizing seminars conferences / workshops, capacity building for research
and monitoring activities, publication of report/material promotion of innovative
programmes / activities in the areas el Justice Delivery, Legal Research and Judicial
Reforms. The objectives of the scheme are to promote research and studies on the
issues related to the National Mission for Justice Delivery and Legal Reforms being
implemented by the Department of Justice.

Principal Investigator

Prof K M Baharul Islam

Chair,
Centre of Excellence in Public Policy and Government,
Indian Institute of Management Kashipur
Kundeshwari, Kashipur 244713 (Uttarakhand)
Tel +91 63997639976 / 7465974659/ 83928-11111
Email: bislam@iimkashipur.ac.in

Assistant Principal Investigator

Dr Smarak Samarjeet
Asstt. Professor of Communications, IIM Kashipur

Senior Research Fellows

Dr Asif Khan
Dr Sana Fatima

Academic Associates
Dr Tariq Ashfaq
Mr Akhilesh Singh Butola
Ms Debolina Paul
Ms Anupama Bhardhwaz
Ms Omi Kumari

© Department of Justice, Ministry of Law and Justice, Government of India

26, Jaisalmer House, Man Singh Road, New Delhi – 110011 India

Cover Photo Courtesy: https://www.galvedesorbe.com

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Global Practices in Continuing Legal Education: Emerging

Platforms for Professional Development of Advocates

FINAL PROJECT REPORT

(Under the Scheme for Action Research and Studies on Judicial Reforms)

Submitted to:
Ministry of Law and Justice
Government of India

Centre of Excellence in Public Policy and Government

Indian Institute of Management Kashipur
Kashipur 244713 Uttarakhand

June 2021
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Disclaimer

This study has been prepared for the Department of Justice, Ministry of Law and Justice,
Government of India, by the Centre of Excellence for Public Policy and Government, Indian
Institute of Management Kashipur. The generous funding support provided by the Department of
Justice, Ministry of Law and Justice, Government of India is gratefully acknowledged.
The designations employed and the presentation of the material in this publication do not imply
the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Department of Justice, Ministry of Law
and Justice, Government of India. The views expressed in this publication are those of the
researchers and do not necessarily reflect the views of the concerned Ministry.
This report has been issued without formal editing. Contents of this study may not be quoted or
reproduced for public dissemination without the consent of the Department of Justice, Ministry of
Law and Justice, Government of India
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भारतीय प्रबंध संस्थान काशीपुर

INDIAN INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT
KASHIPUR
T: +91 7088270882, 7900444090-93
Email: director@iimkashipur.ac.in
Kundeswari, Kashipur, Dist. Udham Singh Nagar 244713
Uttarakhand, INDIA

FOREWORD

Indian Institute of Management Kashipur endeavours to serve society, governments, industry

and academia by supporting scholarly research, policy studies and programme evaluation.
The Centre of Excellence on Public Policy and Government (COEPPG) is set up by the institute
as a platform to serve as a bridge between policymakers, government agencies, civil society,
industry and academia.

I am happy that the Centre, with funding from the Department of Justice, Ministry of Law and
Justice, Government of India, could undertake a study of the diverse and alternative models
of Continuing Legal Education (CLE) to examine the potentials of Massive Open Online Courses
(MOOC) platforms for the lifelong professional development of advocates in India.

We sincerely thank the Department of Justice, Ministry of Law and Justice, Government of
India and its officials for giving us this opportunity to work on this important national project.
The outcome of this study, I am sure, will provide all concerned with crucial insights into
performance evaluation processes in the judiciary.

I would like to thank Prof K M Baharul Islam, Principal Investigator and his team for their
commitment and dedication to this project.

Prof Kulbhushan Balooni

Director, IIM Kashipur
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PREFACE

For lawyers, legal education is invariably seen as a pre-qualification for getting a licence to practice
in India. The idea of ‘continuing’ legal education or periodical updating of professional knowledge
is almost absent among lawyers except for a few self-motivated ones. Ironically, the legal
profession is a very dynamic field where laws and their applications change every day. A lawyer
needs to be aware of those changes to serve their clients successfully. A systematic approach to
Continuing Legal Education (CLE) linked the professional licencing standards, as prevalent in
many parts of the world, would perhaps go a long way to enhance professionalism among lawyers
and improve their performance and legal service quality. In an ever-changing world of work, the
legal services rendered by the Advocates requires a level of competence that can only be gained
by ‘continuing’ to upgrade the knowledge and skillsets of the lawyers. Specific specialisations say
in an area like environmental laws, are also an increasingly sought after value addition to the
Advocates as more and more such cases will be brought by clients. In the present day scenario,
there is a need for such specialisations in particular fields of law.

These were the thoughts that propelled us to undertake this project with support from the Ministry
of Law & Justice, Government of India. We found that it is going to a collaborative mission for all
the major stakeholders – lawyers, judges, the Bar Council of India (BCI), Bar Association,
governments, law colleges, universities to provide a seamless flow of opportunities to offer to
continue professional legal education in the country. The BCI and the academia and the bar
members can join hands to provide continuing legal education to the Advocates to make them
enriched professionals who will be more competent and ethical practitioners.

It is indeed praiseworthy to note that some of the national law universities in India have already
started to offer many such CLE programmes. They offer various paralegal and legal education
programmes, particularly in the field of new emerging areas like Cyber laws, Intellectual Property
etc. However, attending such regular programmes is very difficult for practising lawyers. Hence,
such CLE courses must be delivered online through various Massive Open Online Courses
(MOOC), an emerging model for delivering CLE online to any person who wants to take a course,
with no compulsion to leave regular practice in court be physically present in a classroom.

Continuing Legal Education is mostly considered as a minimum requirement to renew a lawyer’s

practising licence in many countries, such as in United Stated, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia,
to name a few. In most of these places, a stipulated number of CLE hours must be completed within
a specific period of years to maintain one’s practising authorisation. We discussed these issues
with a wide set of stakeholders both in cities and sub-urban areas to find out how they see the idea
of CLE and their response towards technology-mediated CLE platforms like MOOC / Online CLE
Course. This report will present the study results, recommend a course of action, and list online
CLE programmes available today.

We hope the Government will find this study useful.

Prof K M Baharul Islam

Principal Investigator
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

At the very outset, let us put on record that we are indebted to the Ministry of Law & Justice,
Government of India, for sanctioning this action research project to IIM Kashipur.

We also thank Sri Karmanye Thadani, President of Citizens’ Foundation for Policy Solutions
(CFPS), a Delhi-based public policy think-tank and this team for helping us to conduct a survey
and hold consultative meetings in New Delhi involving various stakeholders such as judges, legal
academicians and lawyers.

We are thankful to Dr G K Sharma, Director, Uttarakhand Judicial and Legal Academy, Bhowali,
who has hosted a validation seminar for the project at his institute and helped us review the draft
report for further improvement.

We are grateful to all the District Bar Associations who allowed/ helped us organise the
Consultative Workshop across the Uttar Pradesh/ Uttarakhand. Special thanks to Dr Chandrasekhar
Joshi (Director, Vasudev College of Law, Haldwani), Dr Nafees Ahmed, and Dr Stellina Jolly from
Faculty of Legal Studies, South Asian University Delhi, for their valuable input to the report.

We are thankful to Dr Sana Fatima, Senior Research Fellow at the Centre and Dr Asif Khan (School
of Social Work, Delhi University) for their valuable contributions at various stages of this project.
Thanks are also due to Dr Tariq Ashfaq (Senior Research Fellow), a part of the project team at the
beginning of the project.

We are extremely grateful to other colleagues from the IIM Kashipur, namely Ms Debolina Paul,
Mr Akhilesh Singh Butola, Dr Sana Khan, and Ms Omi Gupta for assisting us in all operational
matters project activities.

Last but not the least, we are thankful to Prof Kulbhushan Balooni, Director of IIM Kashipur, and
members of the IIM Kashipur accounts department for their help in managing the project fund.
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CONTENTS

Foreword
Preface
Acknowledgement
Contents i
Abbreviations iii
Background of the Project iv
Executive Summary vi

1. Introduction
1.1 Implications of the Changing Nature of Work 1
1.2 The Advent of MOOCs 1
1.3 Policy Considerations 4
1.4 Global Practices in CLE 5
1.5 Methodology 6
1.7 Sampling 6

2. Minimum Continuing Legal Education

2.1.1. UK Model 11
2.1.2. USA Model 13
2.1.3. Canada Model 27
2.1.4. France Model 32
2.1.5. Australian Model 37

3. The Indian Context 34

4. Stakeholder Survey 37

5. Analysis of Responses 39

6. Inputs From Validation Workshop 51

7. Conclusions and Recommendations 56

8. Action Plan and the Way Forward 62

ANNEXURES
Annexure 1: List of Participants at Validation Workshop 67
Annexure 2: Survey Questionnaire 69
Annexure 3: Questionnaire Validation Workshop 71
Annexure 4 Photograph 72

ANNEXURE 5: LAWYERS’ HANDBOOK ON CLE

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List of Figures

Figure 1: Need for CLE 4

Figure 2: Affiliation-wise sample distribution 7
Figure 3: Experience-wise sample distribution 8
Figure 4: Experience-wise Response Awareness of MOOCs 39
Figure 5: Affiliation-wise Positive Response Regarding MOOC 40
Figure 6: Affiliation-wise Awareness of MOOC Courses Available Online 41
Figure 7: Awareness About MOOC (SWAYAM) Initiative 41
Figure 8: Digital Courses for Improving Professional Competence 42
Figure 9: MOOC as an Ideal Open Learning Solution for Competence Building 43
Figure 10: Adoption of MOOC after Completing Formal Legal Education 43
Figure 11: Effect of MOOC 44
Figure 12: MOOC in CLE as a Good Step Forward 45
Figure 13: Assessment in MOOC Programmes 48
Figure 14: Option for free or fee-based MOOC Programmes 49
Figure 15: CLE as a Mandatory Requirement 54
Figure 16: Online and offline options for CLE 54
Figure 17: Who Should Offer CLE Online Programmes 55
Figure 18: Chargeable/ Non-Chargeable Cle Courses 55
Figure 19: Factors Affecting Legal Education in India 57

List of Tables

Table 1: Overview of the Sample Size 7

Table 2: Different Models of CLE in the USA 26
Table 3: Nature of Questions (Stakeholder Survey) 38

List of Word Maps Illustrating Responses

Word Map 1: Question 18 And 20 64 46

Word Map 2: Duration Of MOOC Programmes (Question 21) 46
Word Map 3: Response for Question 22: Required Areas Of Importance 47

Boxes

Interviewing the Judges 8

Minimum Continuing Legal Education in Connecticut 10
Continuing Professional Development in Law at Cardiff University (UK) 12
Association for Continuing Legal Education (ACLEA) 26
Third-Party Continuing Professional Development (CPD) in Canada 31
Continuing Legal Education Association of Australasia (CLEAA 33
Research Ethics and Informed Consent 38
Continuing Legal Education for Lawyers in Mainstream Law Universities 50

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ABBREVIATIONS USED

,
ABA American Bar Association
ACLEA Association for Continuing Legal Education
BCI Bar Council of India
BSB Bar Standards Board
CFR Code of Federal Regulations
CL Common-Law
CLE Continuing Legal Education
CLEAA Continuing Legal Education Association of Australasia
CLEreg Continuing Legal Education Regulators Association
CPD continuing professional development
IBA International Bar Association
ILM International Legal Materials
LCI Law Commission of India
LL.B Legum Baccalaureus (Bachelor of Law)
LLM Legum Magister (Master of Laws)
MCLE Minimum Continuing Legal Education
MOOC Massive Open Online Courses
NEP National Education Policy (2020)
NGO Non-Governmental Organisation
PDT Professional Development Training
SCI Supreme Court Of India
SWAYAM Study Webs of Active-Learning for Young Aspiring Minds
UGC University Grants Commission
WIPO World Intellectual Property Organisation

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BACKGROUND OF THE PROJECT

Lawyers are always going to be students because the learning doesn't stop in
law school. The irony is that when we become lawyers, we not only continue to
be students, we simultaneously are teachers."
- Michael S. Greco, Former President of the American Bar Association

In its 184th Report (December 2002) on The Legal Education and Professional Training and
Proposals for Amendments to the Advocates Act, 1961 and the University Grants Commission
Act, 1956, the Law Commission of India suggested various initiatives for Continuing Legal
Education (CLE). On the other hand, the Fifteenth Report of the Parliamentary Committee on
Subordinate Legislation (1993-94) also dealt with ‘Continuing Legal Education and Restructuring
the Law Course’. In many countries of the world, apart from training and Bar examination, there
is also a requirement of periodical renewal of the permission to practice granted by the Bar
regulatory bodies, including mandatory requirements for attending courses in continuing legal
education. However, notwithstanding these recommendations, the sheer number of advocates
enrolled in the country, and the massive CLE opportunities needed to serve them is almost
unsurmountable by offering face-to-face courses in a handful of universities and law colleges. The
present study desires to fill this gap by comparing the global practices and emergence of MOOC
as an online phenomenon that incorporates social networking connectivity, the facilitation of an
acknowledged expert in a field of study, and a collection of freely accessible online resources. The
most significant aspect of a MOOC is that it builds on the dynamic engagement of several hundreds
of learners/participants who are self-motivated and self-organised for learning, have prior
knowledge and skills, and common interests.

IIM Kashipur sets up the Centre of Excellence in Public Policy and Government to bridge
policymakers, government agencies, and professional bodies to support public policy and
professional training needs of various sectors addressing some of the most important public policy
and governance issues. It combines educational programs with current research, training and
advisory services based on thematic public policy analyses. The Centre hosts a diverse team on
internal faculty and invited experts (Fellows) committed to interdisciplinary public policy research,
training and programme development addressing law, standards in professions and good
governance.

Professional development is a lifelong process that needs avenues for keeping oneself abreast of
the changing professional needs of the profession. In the corporate sectors, functional managers
have access to “Executive Education” or “Management Development Programmes” that the
management schools organise. Similar avenues are very limited for advocates in India. Once a
lawyer joins the daily professional workload of a lawyer, new or old, it hardly leaves any time for
them to go back to school regularly. At this juncture, we see the advent of Massive Open Online
Courses (MOOCs) in recent years has generated much interest among all professionals as a tool
for universal access to ‘specialised’ education. These platforms offered by the best of the best
universities in the world are also viewed as a continuing need, with education being sought
throughout a lifetime. New technologies and the Internet facilitate access to education and the
constant training required today, constituting what is known as the learning or educational society
(Delors, 1996)1.

1 Delors J. et al. (1996). Learning: The treasure within (often referred to as “the Delors report”). Report of the international

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Against this backdrop, the broad objective of this project is to:

Establish a global comparison of the diverse and alternative models of Continuing Legal
Education (CLE) and identify and examine the potential Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC)
platforms for the lifelong professional development of advocates in India.

More specifically, the study will have the following specific objectives:

1. To undertake a comparative analysis of various models of Continuing Legal Education

(CLE) across major countries of the world.
2. To examine the ‘self-learning’ models of CLE as provided in professional regulations
related to the lawyers in major countries of the world.
3. To study the responses of lawyers, educators, regulators and other stakeholders in India to
potential Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC) platforms for continuing legal education
through a survey.
4. To prepare a Handbook for Continuing Legal Education based on the available MOOC
platforms like Coursera, Udacity, edX and Open2Study based on pre-identified features,
methodology and educational approach and design.

Details of activities:

1. Setting up the research Team

2. Desk research on CLE and MOCC platforms available, and a comparative analysis
3. Preparation of Survey Questionnaire and pilot test
4. Holding of the Consultations with Bar Council of India and Workshop with stakeholders
(Advocates, Academia and Judiciary)
5. Submission of 1st Progress Report
6. Submission of Interim Progress Report
7. Submission of the Final Project Report

commission on education for the twenty-first century. Paris: UNESCO.

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

"Never stop learning; knowledge doubles every fourteen months."

Anthony J. D'Angelo

An in-depth analysis of prevalent Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC) models in the United
Kingdom, the United States, Canada, France and Australia have led us to conclude that the best-
suited model that India can follow is the US model. The need for lawyers to maintain their
professional competency is increasing and pressurising itself with time. The practice of law is
changing with time; an upgraded skillset and expertise are needed to effectively communicate with
clients and address their problems. The Minimum/ Mandatory Continuing Legal Education
(MCLE) was designed and passed by the American Bar Association in 1986. Depending upon the
jurisdiction, an attorney must spend a minimum of 10 hours or a maximum of 45 hours per reporting
period.

Instead of directly adapting the Mandatory Continuing Legal Education Model of the United States,
India may begin with the more benign form, say, the Minimum Continuing Legal Education Model.
In the same direction, India may consider launching a program of one-year duration, requiring
lawyers to spend 8 hours a year. As of 2014, MOOC has already been started in India thanks to the
initiative taken by the SWAYAM and other central universities.

Although awareness and participation in MOOCs leave more to be desired, the survey shows a
positive trend in legal professionals. The increased receptivity of alternative means of legal
education ensures that there is a demand for CLE courses. Most participants agreed that MOOCs
would be beneficial to the career interests of legal professionals. Courses offering certification or
credentials are being especially perceived as an effective way of enhancing one’s employability.
As a way forward, widespread promotion of MOOCs and pointing its benefits over the long term
would be advisable.

Recommendations

1. Incentivising CLE: We have found that mandatory stipulation of any CLE to continue
practising license like other countries is not preferred by the stakeholders in India. An alternative
way to popularise the CLE will be to provide non-monetary incentives to the advocates who
complete CLE programmes. It will lead to the voluntary adoption of CLE by advocates in India. A
few suggested ways of incentivising CLE may be as follows:

 Public recognition or Award Competitions: Regular legal knowledge and skill-based

competitions can be arranged at district, state and national levels by a collaboration between
Bar Associations, Bar Council of India and Law colleges/universities.
 Professional Certification: In collaboration with Law colleges/universities, Bar
Associations, Legal Publishers, Legal web-portals etc., a set of special professional
certification programmes can be launched for the advocates. A list of short term and long
term programmes that are available online for CLE certifications

2. Promotion of CLE among corporate law professionals

 Professional Development Programmes: Professional development programmes can be

recommended to reputed corporate law firms in India. They can work with national law

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universities and other reputed law schools to develop such programmes.

 Award Competitions among Law Firms: Through collaboration between law firms,
universities and Bar association, regular inter-firm completions can be organised to gain
public visibility and encourage them to take up CLE programmes.
 Rankings: Some competitions recognise strengths among corporate lawyers. More such
competitions will drive the practising advocates to gain an additional knowledge base and
drive demand for suitable CLE programmes.

3. Recognising Champions of CLE: Several unsung heroes in our law colleges, faculties,
departments, law universities and bar associations strongly support, propagate and conduct CLE
programmes at different levels. Three categories of champions of CLE can be considered: The
Institutional Champion, The Individual Champion and those for Lifelong Contribution to CLE.

4. Flexibility of the CLE

 In tandem with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, a multiple entry/exit system
(MEES) in legal education can be introduced. Law schools in the country can be invited to
develop such customised LLM or even Doctoral programmes that will allow advocates to
earn higher education in law while continuing to practice. Such programmes enable them
to choose from the full range of modules (certificate courses), incrementally earn credits
and finally move towards a higher degree.

 University Grants Commission (UGC) has already allowed students to gain 20% credits in
graduate courses from the courses offered under SWAYAM programmes online. Now, it
is proposed to be increased to 40%. But only a few Law courses are available under
SWAYAM. Law schools can work more intensively with UGC to offer more law course
that the advocates can also access as CLE programmes.

An Action Plan: The Way Forward

a) A national-level consultation may be organised or facilitated by the Ministry of law and

Justice, Government of India, to discuss how ‘non-mandatory CLE can be popularised in
the country through the active collaboration of all the stakeholders.
b) A national multi-stakeholder committee – National Committee on Continuing Legal
Education – can be set up by the ministry where professional bodies, corporate
representatives and law schools can initiate a nationwide CLE advocacy campaign.
c) CLE can introduce the fast-changing technological environment like computer-assisted
case management, drafting and the legal reforms envisaged under emerging applications
like Artificial Intelligence (AI) and 5G systems.
d) CLE can be launched as a national, and it will need at least five years to place CLE in the
professional environment. The suggested national-level committee can be entrusted with
this task by giving it financial support and a time-bound list of deliverables. Ministry can
create this national committee as a platform, identify champions, bring stakeholders
together to show the win-win in CLE for all parties.
e) Regulatory authorities like BCI and UGC should partner in the CLE mission to ensure buy-
in from the stakeholders and develop a realistic standard and model implementation
framework.

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1. INTRODUCTION

The development of human resource is one of the top priorities for a developing economy.
However, the infrastructural constraints of setting up new learning institutions necessitate the
conceptualisation of creative policy solutions aimed at upskilling professionals and jobseekers
alike. Technological advancement has emerged as a major disruptor in the jobs market, increasing
the chasm between jobseekers with technological know-how on the one hand and those with no
such training on the other.

1.1. Implications of the Changing Nature of Work

A report, published by the World Bank Group, titled ‘The Changing Nature of Work’ (2019),
addresses such new-age barriers to professional growth, arguing that children enrolled in primary
schools in 2019 are likely to work in fields that are presently not even in existence. To keep pace
with the exponential growth of knowledge on a global scale, fuelled by the free exchange of ideas
on the internet, governments and policymakers alike are increasingly emphasising harnessing the
benefits of technology through a harmonious integration with human capital.

Aside from jobseekers, working professionals too are affected by the information explosion. As
economies move from low-skill and medium-skill jobs to high-skill jobs, it becomes imperative
for countries to invest in human capital. For professionals falling towards the higher end of the
experience spectrum, conventional education or going back to college is certainly not viable. Aside
from taking significant time away from their work schedules, such an option is undesirable if the
economy grows.

1.2 The Advent of MOOCs

In this age of information revolution, thanks to the Internet, Web 2.0 technologies, and user-
generated regime, a new concept called Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), which advances
values of openness regarding access to knowledge, has emerged. According to Professor Michael
A. Peters MOOC, promotes symmetrical, horizontal peer-learning relationships.2 Professor
Michael A. Peters is of the view that the emergence of MOOCs world over should be seen within
the theoretical framework of postindustrial education, distance education and venture capitalism3

The MOOCs that are free or low-cost Internet-based courses comprising various disciplines were
introduced in 2012, proclaimed the “Year of the MOOC” by The New York Times, covering a
large part of the world within a short span. In 2012 the prestigious American universities took the
initiative of offering their courses online free of charge. The courses were mainly based on videos,
with a large number of participants who were called learners. They “would get feedback only from
fellow learners and machine-evaluated quizzes, making it possible for a single professor to reach
and teach virtually an unlimited amount of learners.4

Some even called this new movement a MOOC “revolution” that would bring unprecedented
equality because they make available the best courses from the best teachers at the best universities

2 Leonard J. Waks, The Evolution and Evaluation of Massive Open Online Courses, xi, xii 2016
3 Leonard J. Waks, The Evolution and Evaluation of Massive Open Online Courses, ix 2016
4 Sarah Porter, To MOOC or Not to MOOC, 3-4 2015

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to anyone, anywhere, with an Internet connection5

MOOCs are considered the product of a long-time experiment with educational technology and
online learning, developing new academic approaches suitable for use via technology.6

The current operators running MOOCs such as edX, Coursera, Udacity, Udemy, P2Pu, Khan
Academy, Open2Study include for-profit and not-forprofit start-ups. Some players have devised
the “freemium” model, where most material is provided for free, excluding other services7 Over
the years, MOOCs have spread over countries like Germany, Japan, Australia, United Kingdom,
Brazil, New Zealand and China8.

The advocates of MOOCs claim that they offer immense opportunities for higher education as they
can open up higher education qualifications to many millions of people at a minimal cost or free
of cost. On the contrary, sceptics claim that MOOCs are simply the result of overhyping by media
moguls who serve the interests of elite institutions to get more and more press coverage. Sarah
Porter claims there are elements of truth in both views9 . Some sceptics argue that MOOCs are a
political instrument that is used as a tool to serve the interested parties10

MOOCs are said to cover the following components:

 Technology-enhanced learning or e-learning with or without the Internet, including

electronic whiteboards and interactive polling systems;
 Courses are designed for a large number of participants;11
 Courses are open in terms of place, pace and time;12
 Courses are open to all and sundry without entry qualifications;13
 Courses can be completed without paying any fee;14
 Open educational resources comprising licensed digital content;
 OER making available large amounts of digital content for free use by the public;
 Some courses available to unlimited numbers of participants for free;
 Unlike open educational resource, they are offered within a certain period
 They may also carry an assessment element, including some form of accreditation, not
unlike a traditional course15.

A report about the situation of MOOC in Europe says that “a 74,7% of the institutions (71,6%)
finds it (highly) relevant that ‘Anybody can enter the course, i.e. course is accessible to all people
without limitations.”16

In addition to the beneficial components mentioned above, there are several hurdles one may come
across in availing MOOCs courses:

5 Sarah Porter, To MOOC or Not to MOOC, xiii-xiv 2015

6 Leonard J. Waks, The Evolution and Evaluation of Massive Open Online Courses, x 2016
7 Sarah Porter, To MOOC or Not to MOOC, xiii-xiv 2015
8 Leonard J. Waks, The Evolution and Evaluation of Massive Open Online Courses, x 2016
9 Sarah Porter, To MOOC or Not to MOOC, xiii-xiv 2015
10 https://www.openuped.eu/images/docs/Definition_Massive_Open_Online_Courses.pdf
11 Ibid.
12 Ibid.
13 Ibid.
14 Ibid.
15 Sarah Porter, To MOOC or Not to MOOC, 3-4 2015
16 https://www.openuped.eu/images/docs/Definition_Massive_Open_Online_Courses.pdf

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 Lack of technology skills hinders learning as a wide variety of tools are used in the course.
 For non-native English speakers, non-proficiency in language poses a problem when web
conferencing sessions are conducted in English.
 For new learners, the chaotic nature of the MOOC may cause problems.
 Time zone differences, unavailability of others online, lack of technology skills, and social
connections may cause others not to participate in or finish a course.
 Unavailability of spare time constraints can create hurdles for adult lifelong learners in
professional courses. For example, in a study, it was observed that xMOOCs had
significantly higher dropout rates compared to cMOOCs, that is, 85% compared to 40%,
respectively.17

The course participants in MOOCs are most often referred to as learners. This helps differentiate
them from students, a word reserved for persons enrolled in one of the University’s accredited
educational programmes.

The new format was called massive open online courses, or MOOCs, with massive referring to
many simultaneous learners, and open meaning anyone can sign up and join the course free of
charge. Being a new and largely unexplored format at the intersection of higher education and
technology, it received a healthy proportion of both tech hype and criticism relating to everything
from low quality and high retention rates to privacy and protection of learner data.

An advantage of online learning is that it can give you very detailed data about the learners’
interaction with the course materials. When looking at learner activity data, an important thing to
remember is that learners interact with the course materials in several meaningful ways that are
often not aimed at obtaining a certificate. This is especially relevant when looking at retention
rates, how many of the learners who sign up for a course end up completing all of it and receiving
a certificate.

Given the open nature of this kind of courses, it is not completely straightforward to determine
when a person joins a course to complete all assignments and earn a certificate. Is it when you click
the “Join for free”-button on the course description page? Or is it when you enter the course room,
watch your first video lecture, or do the first graded assignment? A survey of lecturers involved in
MOOC production at the University of Copenhagen shows that it has inspired many of them to
improve their on-campus teaching. Many have also been inspired to include more online elements
in their ordinary teaching. They believe that MOOCs are a good way to improve the quality of
education for students at the University of Copenhagen.

Around each MOOC, a large-scale global community of learners is created. This community can
be used actively to improve the quality and relevance of education at the university by engaging
them in thesis supervision, crowd-sourcing feedback on research and student projects, and global
input to campus-based courses. The MOOC format blurs the lines between education and research
dissemination, with the thousands of online learners also being consumers of research news.
Findings indicate that it is possible to recruit international students via MOOCs but that more data
is needed to explore this potential.

The MOOCs also have a great reach outside of the course room. The eight-course descriptions
have been shared almost 30 000 times on Facebook and almost 2 000 times on Twitter, and 24 %
of all tweets to the University’s English Twitter account since the partnership was announced in

17 https://www.ncolr.org/jiol/issues/pdf/13.1.1.pdf

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February 2013 have been about Coursera. A survey among University of Copenhagen faculty who
lectured on one of the MOOCs found that 75 % was in favour of the idea that the University share
educational materials under a license that allows other lecturers, students and the general public to
re-use the materials in other contexts18.

1.3 Policy Considerations

The emergence of online learning environments has caught the attention of policy analysts as a
suitable medium for providing skills training to working professionals without compromising
quality or taking away time from normal working hours. Such forms of distance learning ensure
that a nodal institution, tasked with creating curricula, imparts skills training under required quality
standards. Unlike traditional pedagogy involving lectures delivered in classrooms, online courses
can be monitored and edited to improve quality standards by supervising institutions.

An option that is increasingly finding mention in the discourse on alternative methods of teaching
is MOOC. MOOCs, or Massive Open Online Courses, are online learning tools that shift teaching
from conventional classrooms to one’s computer, laptop or mobile phone. Such courses are mostly
hosted on specific websites. They comprise pre-recorded video lectures, short assessments,
quizzes, and a forum where course-takers can raise doubts regarding lessons they have taken.

The course schedule is flexible enough to accommodate working professionals with different work
schedules. There is no limit to the number of participants enrolled for a MOOC, and numbers can
run into hundreds or even thousands.

Improving technological
Updation of Legal Knowledge
knowhow

Need for Continuing

Legal Education

Enhancing soft skills Improvement of research skills

Figure 1 Need for Continuing Legal Education

18 UCPH_MOOC_report_2015

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1.4 Global Practices in CLE

The legal profession specifically necessitates a life-long commitment to continuing education, be

it skill-based, technology-based or constant updating of legal knowledge, because of the ever-
evolving and newly emerging statutes, delegated legislation and judicial precedents. The career
cycle of a legal professional has to be accompanied by a constant evolution of knowledge, skills
and behaviour to earn or maintain standards of competence. Such skills might be directly related
to legal subjects, or indirectly related, as in developing soft skills, such as communication,
computer proficiency, and management skills. The need for CLE can be broadly categorised into
the heads below.

The United States of America, Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, Germany, France and Italy
have mandatory CLE programmes. A brief overview of the CLE programmes in these countries is
given below.

 USA: In certain United States America states, it is mandatory to enrol in CLE programmes
for a period terminating when an attorney attains the age of 65 years. The programme has
a mandatory credit requirement of 12 hours to be put in by the attorney annually.

 Canada: Canada has a lifelong CPD (Continuing Professional Development) programme,

which requires a commitment of 12 hours every year. It is a paid programme and essential
for the first five years of practice.

 Australia: Regulated by the Law Societies of individual states, the Australian scheme of
CLE requires solicitors to attain a minimum of 10 credits. The programme would terminate
when a solicitor attains the age of 40 years.

 UK: The Solicitors Regulation Authority Board of the United Kingdom mandates a lifelong
commitment to CLE, offering a wide range of specialised subjects to contribute to the
working knowledge of legal professionals.

 Europe: Countries such as Germany, France and Italy require lawyers to undergo training.

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1.5 Methodology

The project was completed in four stages:

1. Desk Research on the global and domestic scenario on CLE and Massive Open Online
Courses (MOOC) platforms,
2. Lawyers, Educators and Regulators Survey,
3. Analysis of various prevailing CLE models and self-learning opportunities and related
regulatory issues in India and abroad
4. Preparation of an Advocate’s Resource Book (Lawyers’ learning toolkit) for CLE and
MOOCs.

This study followed a mixed approach of qualitative and quantitative research methods. The
primary comparative analysis of global models on Continuing Legal Education (CLE) and Massive
Open Online Courses (MOOC) platforms was based on desk research and qualitative analysis of
the CLE/MOOC landscape. It included, wherever necessary, quantitative data from the stakeholder
survey that adopted the survey method using the structured questionnaire.

This report is based on primary data collected through surveys and face-to-face interviews. A
questionnaire assessing the awareness level regarding MOOCs and methods of imparting MOOCs
directed at the target group (legal professionals) has been used to assess the feasibility of an
alternative method of formulating CLE policy.

The questionnaire contains both close-ended questions (requiring a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer) and
open-ended questions (requiring descriptive answers). The survey team has ensured the
genuineness of responses by following a blinded interview pattern. Participants are not primed with
information or led towards forming any specific opinion before the commencement of the survey.

The analysis of primary data gathered from the survey in this report has been conducted using
quantitative and qualitative methods. In this regard, close-ended questions have been used to
generate quantifiable analyses, whereas open-ended questions provide the basis for qualitative
analyses. The views of some office-bearers of the Bar Council of Delhi were specifically sought
to assess the prospective receptivity of bar associations to MOOCs.

1.6 Sampling

A total of one hundred (100) participants have been interviewed for the survey. In this survey,
quota sampling, judgment sampling, and convenience sampling methods have been used to identify
sub-groups (under the group ‘legal professionals’). Individuals from the sub-group were then
selected based on convenience, willingness to participate in the survey and availability.

The random sampling method will be used in selecting the participants under four criteria/groups:
lawyers, educators, and other stakeholders like judges, representatives of law firms etc. (Figure 2).
The questionnaire will be sent by email with a link to the online response page as well. Further, to
draw qualitative input, semi-structured interviews will be conducted among the participants to
draw inferences.

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SI No Affiliation Number of Survey

Participants
1 Legal Academia 15
2 Litigating Advocates 30
3 Office-bearers of the Bar Council of Delhi 3
4 Judges 5
5 Law Firm Associates 14
6 Lawyers (non-litigation) 26
7 Online Legal Education Providers 1
8 Supreme Court Judicial Clerks 2
9 Policy Think Tank Associates 4
Total 100

Table 1: Overview of the Sample Size

Affiliation-wise Distribution of the Sample

Sample Distribution
35.00%
30.00%
30.00%
26.00%
25.00%
20.00%
14.00% 15.00%
15.00%
10.00%
4.00% 5.00%
5.00% 2.00% 1.00% 3.00%

0.00%

Sample Distribution

Figure 2 Affiliation-wise sample distribution

Representation from the legal academia has been restricted to faculty members from the
institutions listed below.

 National Law University, Delhi

 Campus Law Centre, Delhi University
 Indian Society of International Law
 University School of Law and Legal Studies
 Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University
 Faculty of Law, Jamia Millia Islamia

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Experience-wise Distribution of Sample

45 40
40
35
30
25
19
20
15
10 7
5 4 5 4
5 3 2 3 3 3
1 1
0
0 to 1 2 to 3 4 to 5 6 to 7 8 to 9 10 to 11 12 to 13 14 to 15 18 to 19 20 to 21 24 to 25 27 to 28 29 to 30 above
30

Figure 3 Experience wise sample distribution

The sample also constitutes a representation of legal professionals of diverse age groups and
experience bases. A significant portion of the sample is constituted by young professionals (with
experience of 1-3 years). Generally speaking, such young professionals were enthusiastic in
responding to the survey.

Interviewing the Judges

In recent years, an additional dimension has been added to this methodological reflection in light of the
globalization of the legal context and its effects on the role of courts. The interview method is now also
applied in studies concerning the transnational context of judicial decision-making, meaning the context in
which international, regional and national law interact. In this article, we will reflect on two main questions
related to these developments.

Our experiences with qualitative interviewing show that it is a challenging but also very motivating exercise
with a great added value and the potential to enrich legal studies as a complementing method to the classic
doctrinal approach. Undoubtedly, no single perspective or methodological approach can reflect a complete
picture of the object which is under scrutiny. This is especially true if the object of study concerns a ‘moving
target’, in our projects: to find out how national judges receive and perceive the legal order which is evolving
beyond their own state legal system. Still, qualitative interviewing has brought us in the middle of the
judicial environment, and has allowed us to learn what it really means to be a judge. It made it possible to
identify what and how judges really think, and how they work. It facilitated looking behind the scenes of
the formal law and indicating those factors which influence the daily judicial decision-making, which
normally would go unnoticed since they cannot be detected by means of purely legal analysis. In our
opinion, this approach is particularly valuable in the increasingly internationalized legal context and in light
of the related development of ‘global’ legal scholarship. However, our experiences with interviewing judges
show that there are various aspects attached to this method that must be taken into consideration. Indeed,
qualitative interviewing comes with a price tag, mostly in the form of ensuring representativeness and
overcoming various technical obstacles.
[Source: Urszula Jaremba en Elaine Dr. Mak,
'Interviewing Judges in the Transnational Context', in Law and Method, May 2014]

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2. MINIMUM CONTINUING LEGAL EDUCATION

Continuing Legal Education (CLE), also known as mandatory or Minimum Continuing Legal
Education (MCLE) or, in some jurisdictions outside the United States, as continuing professional
development, consists of professional education for attorneys after their initial admission to the
bar19 . Continuing Legal Education aimed to improve lawyers' performance, and minimum
continuing legal education made it mandatory to improve their performance during their
professional career, thus taking away the choice of timing and the amount of education from
lawyers. Some Continuing Legal Education providers believe that CLE is effective at improving
the practice of law, sharing new developments, ensuring ethical practice, and connecting attorneys
with their peers20

However, the mandating of education generates criticism from attorneys. The criticism centres on
a debate that boils down to each state asking the perceived value of MCLE and if the perceived
value of the mandated education is worth the costs imposed both on an attorney and the state. The
debate so far has been argument-driven, with a lack of statistical support to the arguments. This
inquiry looks into the attorney discipline system of states recently implementing MCLE
requirements to see how MCLE implementation may affect attorney discipline.

This inquiry uses a quantitative approach to determining if MCLE relates to attorney behaviour
within a particular state’s attorney disciplinary system. The inquiry does this by analysing five
states that adopted MCLE between 2000 and 2010. The findings are that after MCLE programs
were adopted, there was a decline in the averages of docketed cases and attorney sanctions. The
reduction of docketed cases is significant, which indicates that MCLE is a good thing.

It was in the mid-70s that states began making CLE mandatory. This decision to mandate CLE was
largely due to growing public distrust of the legal profession attributed to an increased perception
of incompetence and corruption in the profession. In a 1973 speech by Chief Justice Warren
Burger, he referred to the deteriorating quality of legal representation in our country as a “problem
of large scope and profound importance . . . .” Chief Justice Burger stated that a large portion of
an attorney’s training happens after law school and suggested a system of education in which
attorneys could receive post-graduation education by experts who were knowledgeable on recent
law developments.

As of the second quarter of 2013, there were forty-five states with MCLE requirements. Julie
Fershtman, president of the State Bar of Michigan, in her response to a question about the Michigan
survey, said:
A majority favours the status quo. I should also note that despite the consensus that good
lawyering requires regular updating of knowledge, no evidence exists that setting up a
mandatory system of continuing legal education improves the overall quality of lawyering
in a state. Notably, no state requires that lawyers receive a passing score on a test to satisfy
their CLE requirements; attendance alone is measured. Given the cost of setting up and
administering a mandatory CLE system, the State Bar's thinking to date is that we need
more evidence of the pay-off of a mandatory requirement than we've seen thus far.

To argue that MCLE improves attorney competence is a broad proposition because of the lack of
consensus on what “competence” actually means. Definitions include substantive legal knowledge,

19 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continuing_legal_education
20 https://www.clereg.org/assets/pdf/CLE_Education_Initiative.pdf

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practical efficiency, or identifying issues outside of the attorney’s competence. However,

competence is defined; some CLE courses aim to provide appealing ways to gain credit but provide
questionable benefit in terms of knowledge. Many attorneys cite poor quality CLE’s as a factor
against MCLE regulations. CLE regulators have limited resources to attend and monitor every
course for quality and decide the CLE provider's information. Also, those who oppose MCLE
point out that despite nearly three decades of MCLE in most states, public perception of attorneys
is still very poor.

A common criticism is that MCLE is unnecessary because a successful attorney must, as a

necessary cost of doing business, continually educate themselves to maintain up to date knowledge
of changes in the law. Making such education mandatory only increases the cost to attorneys who
would otherwise obtain the necessary knowledge through research or other independent means as
required to represent clients competently. Proponents respond that MCLE is necessary not for the
model attorney who follows legal news daily but for the attorney who fails to adequately educate
themself on current legal issues. As one MCLE supporter states, “[t]hose that argues against MCLE
sometimes quote the old saying ‘, You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink.’
Maybe not, but if you take the whole herd, most of them are going to have a drink.” MCLE has
received consistent support from the ABA but many attorneys remain unconvinced of the supposed
benefits and complain that MCLEs are merely expensive, busy work. In California’s discussion of
enacting MCLE, the California state legislature acknowledged a lack of statistical evidence
between attorney competence and MCLE. In D.C.’s discussion of enacting MCLE, “[a] District of
Columbia task force spent two years examining MCLE issues and published a nearly 200-page
report that concluded there is no empirical data to demonstrate that MCLE courses improve
competence.

MCLE is a good thing. “Good”, meaning that MCLE implementation has a relationship to a
reduction in disciplinary statistics. While using attorney discipline is one of the many ways to
measure attorney competence, the reduction of docketed cases is indicative that the number of
attorneys being found to need an investigation into being fit to practice law decreased after MCLE
implementation. This inquiry regarding complaints or sanctions can establish no such indication.
While a correlation can be established, the information relating MCLE to attorney discipline is
limited. The relationship between MCLE and attorney discipline suffers from a lack of publicly
available information. This lack of details comes, in large part, from states preserving
confidentiality surrounding the attorney disciplinary process, which varies by state. While there
will always be room to argue that the cost of MCLE is not worth the benefit, this inquiry finds that
the available information indicates that MCLE is helping to achieve CLE’s initial goal: to improve
lawyer performance.21

“Sec. 2-27A. Minimum Continuing Legal Education: (a) On an annual basis, each attorney
admitted in Connecticut shall certify, on the registration form required by Section 2-27 (d),
that the attorney has completed in the last calendar year no less than twelve credit hours
of appropriate continuing legal education, at least two hours of which shall be in
ethics/professionalism. The ethics and professionalism components may be integrated
with other courses.”
[ from “Connecticut Practice Book”, issued by the Secretary of the State of the State of Connecticut in the USA]

21 https://www.clereg.org/assets/pdf/Is_MCLE_A_Good_Thing.pdf

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2.1 MODELS OF CONTINUING LEGAL EDUCATION

2.1.1 UK Model

CLE is mandatory for all lawyers - Barristers and Solicitors - and is commonly referred to as CPD
(Continuing Professional Development). CPD compliance is an obligation under the Code of
Conduct (para. 202(b)). For newly qualified practitioners (first 3 years of practice): 45 credits per
year, including at least nine credits of Advocacy Training and 3 credits of Ethics (the “New
Practitioners’ Programme”). For all barristers: 12 credits per year (the “Established Practitioners’
Programme”). Ninety credits for three years. All solicitors and registered European lawyers who
are in legal practice or employment in England & Wales, and work 32 hours or more per week,
must complete a minimum of 16 credits per year and register their CPD with the Law Society of
England & Wales22.

CPD Providers

The University of Oxford Department for Continuing Education offers two courses in international
human rights law, taught by an internationally-recognized faculty and combining academic and
practical experience.

The Master’s in International Human Rights Law duration is two academic years, including both
online learning23 and residential summer schools. It is useful for lawyers and human rights workers.
The four-week Summer School is meant for those who already possess some knowledge of
international human rights law or those that have no such knowledge24.

The Institute of Continuing Education of the University of Cambridge offers a three-week course
on English law, including legal method through lectures and seminars. The course covers areas
such as the evolution, sources and structure of English law. The course includes specific subjects
such as precedent, statutory interpretation, the courts’ structure, the legal profession, property,
obligations, trusts, labour law, family law, constitutional law, administrative law, civil procedure,
criminal procedure, private international law, company law, and the law of torts25.

Edinburgh Law School (ranked 4th) of Edinburgh University offers courses including commercial
law, banking law, medical law and ethics, legal argumentation, criminal law, constitutional law,
human rights, and Diploma in Professional Legal Practice and Trainee. The courses include
bespoke in-house and online training26 Established in 1852, the City Law School (City, University
of London) is one of the oldest institutions providing CPD training for the legal profession and
other professional sectors.

The City Law School offers bespoke in-house training to organisations throughout the world. The
courses are created to support professionals in developing their skills and enhancing their careers.
The School also provides a range of specialist public courses which are available for individuals
to enrol on.
The School’s training courses and materials are regularly reviewed and revised to ensure that they

22 http://www.eccle.eu/european-center-for-continuing-legal-education/
23 https://www.conted.ox.ac.uk/about/mst-in-international-human-rights-law
24 https://www.conted.ox.ac.uk/about/law
25 https://www.ice.cam.ac.uk/course/english-law-and-legal-methods-summer-programme
26 http://www.law.ed.ac.uk/other_areas_of_interest/cpd_and_consultancy

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are up-to-date with the latest legal developments, thus providing direct access to the latest legal
knowledge, skills and thinking in a range of flexible and engaging formats. The School delivers
courses at members’ premises or host members’ delegates at its campuses, including a selection of
mock courtrooms and recording suites27.

The Faculty of Laws, University College London, offers free public events, including the Current
Legal Problems lecture series. The programs are accredited with CPD hours by The Bar Standards
Board (BSB) and, in some instances, by other accrediting bodies such as the IPReg (Patent/Trade
Mark Attorneys).

The programs are offered to legal professionals to update their knowledge or develop their
expertise in a particular field through several flexible and distance-learning options to further their
learning, including courses on LLM, notarial Practice, legal practice and public policy28.The
duration of the non-distant mode LLM level courses ranges from two hours of tuition each week
for either 20 week or ten weeks courses29 The course regarding notarial Practice, however, is a
two-year distance learning course, run on the Faculty Office’s behalf by an academic provider, to
train candidates in Notarial Practice. The duration of the course designed to focus on the legal and
practice issues relating to intellectual property is five days30.

The School of Law of the University of Nottingham offers courses covering the latest updates in
evidence and practice in law covering international human rights (distance-learning mode)31,
nature of law, legal process, and rules regarding UNCITRAL, the WTO, the EU and the UK 32 for
the development of legal professionals33. The School of Law of Cardiff University (See Box)
offers masters-level courses accredited by the Bar Standards Board and Solicitors Regulation
Authority in a flexible online mode of 10 weeks34.

Continuing Professional Development in Law at Cardiff University (UK)

The School of Law and Politics offers a Continuing Professional Development (CPD) programme for
professionals interested in studying Masters level modules as single units. The CPD Programme is
designed for busy professionals already committed to a career path, not necessarily in law, and enables
students to pace their studies according to their own professional commitments. The programme offers a
flexible study format. CPD modules are accredited by the Bar Standards Council (BSB) and the Solicitors
Regulation Authority (SRA). All legal professionals need to keep their generic skills and knowledge up to
date and can benefit from participating in the range of CPD activities and resources provided by the School
of Law and Politics. All CPD modules are fully verified by the Bar Standards Board and Solicitors
Regulation Authority as well as other relevant professional organisations. Modules are open to all legal
professionals, but also those from other backgrounds relevant to the modules that they wish to pursue.
[Source: https://www.cardiff.ac.uk]

27 https://www.city.ac.uk/law/courses/continuing-professional-development
28 https://www.ucl.ac.uk/laws/study/continuing-professional-development
29 https://www.ucl.ac.uk/laws/study/continuing-professional-development/single-masters-level-courses
30 https://www.ucl.ac.uk/laws/study/continuing-professional-development/specialist-cpd-courses
31 https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/pgstudy/courses/law/international-human-rights-law-pgcert.aspx
32 https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/law/study/cpd/executive-programmes/index.aspx
33 https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/law/study/cpd/index.aspx
34 https://www.cardiff.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/taught/courses/standalone-modules/continuing-

professional- development-in-law

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2.1.2. USA Model

Within the United States of America, the attorneys in many states and territories must complete
certain CLE to maintain their U.S. licenses to practice law. No nationwide rules exist within the
United States for CLE requirements or accreditation. Instead, each individual jurisdiction (i.e., each
state, the District of Columbia, and each territory) exercises discretion on regulating U.S. attorneys,
which includes establishing rules for CLE requirements and accreditation. This authority is
typically vested in each jurisdiction’s Supreme Court and delegated to special CLE commissions
or boards.

Nonetheless, various efforts have been made to promote uniformity of CLE programs across US
jurisdiction. For example, the American Bar Association (ABA) promulgated a model CLE rule
for individual jurisdictions to adopt. Similarly, the Continuing Legal Education Regulators
Association (CLEreg) created a uniform CLE application, a uniform CLE attendance certification,
and a CLE distance learning glossary. CLE reg also created a CLE guide to assist its members in
managing CLE programs.

In US jurisdictions with mandatory CLE requirements, attorneys must typically earn a minimum
number of CLE credits (measured in hours) over a set period of years. Also, some of these
jurisdictions require a minimum number of CLE credits for specific topics (e.g., ethics, diversity
training, elimination of bias, professional responsibility, basic skills, substance abuse, prevention
of malpractice, and attorney-client disputes).

US attorneys typically earn CLE credits by completing legal training presented by experienced
attorneys. The training may cover both legal theory and practical experiences in legal practice.
Competency testing is not usually required for attorneys to earn CLE credits through legal training.
Classroom training materials can be extensive and represent the most current and advanced
thinking available on a particular legal subject. Frequently, a portion of CLE credits may be earned
through reading and other self-study. In recent years, many jurisdictions now allow attorneys to
earn CLE credits as part of distance education courses taken online or by listening to the audio
download.

Alternatively, experienced attorneys in some jurisdictions, such as New York, may also earn CLE
credits for speaking or teaching at accredited CLE programs; for moderating or participating in
panel presentations at accredited CLE activities; for teaching law courses at ABA-accredited law
schools; for preparing students for and judging law competitions, mock trials and moot court
arguments, including those at the high school or college level; for published legal research-based
writing; and for providing pro bono legal services.

Legal training or other activities often meet the rules for CLE requirements and accreditation in
multiple jurisdictions. In these instances, nothing prohibits attorneys licensed in one or more of
these jurisdictions from counting the training or other activities towards fulfilling their CLE credit
requirements for each of these jurisdictions. Opportunities for CLE are offered throughout the year
by state bar associations, national legal organisations such as the American Bar Association,
Federal Bar Association, law schools, and

Many other legal associations and groups such as non-profit CLE providers Practicing Law
Institute (PLI), American Law Institute Continuing Legal Education (ALI CLE; formerly
American Law Institute-American Bar Association ALI-ABA), The Center for American and
International Law(CAIL), and The Institute of American & Talmudic Law (IAT Law), as well as
other private, for-profit enterprises. Activities are usually open to all lawyers (and sometimes non-

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lawyers), but organisations often offer discounts to their members. A recent trend is toward the
provision and promotion of free CLE programs.

Uniquely, Kentucky allows all licensed attorneys in the state to complete their annual CLE
requirement without a registration fee through a two-day program known as Kentucky Law Update,
offered annually in at least seven locations throughout the state.

Some attorneys, particularly those who have spent many years in active practice, have resisted
CLE requirements as unconstitutional. However, in 1999, the Supreme Court of California upheld
that state’s CLE program against an Equal Protection Clause constitutional challenge35

In the 1960s and 1970s, the organised bar promoted mandatory continuing legal education (CLE)
as an answer to the concern that the rising number of new attorneys had led to a decrease in the
quality of lawyering, a sentiment famously expressed by Chief Justice Warren Burger in his
comments concerning the “inadequacies” of courtroom counsel. Mandatory CLE remains firmly
entrenched in the legal profession, bringing a substantial windfall for the institutional interests that
profit from the system but little, if any, demonstrable public benefit 36. The vast majority of
attorneys in this country must complete 10 to 15 hours of (“CLE”) every year37.

Minnesota and Iowa adopted the first mandatory CLE measures in 1975; now, 46 states impose
mandatory CLE requirements. Almost all mandatory CLE jurisdictions require an average of
between 10 and 15 CLE hours per year38. The American Bar Association supports the concept of
mandatory continuing legal education for all active lawyers. The American Bar Association (ABA)
Model Rule for Continuing Legal Education, 1986, incorporates mandatory continuing legal
education for all active lawyers. In the opinion of the Standing Committee, the use of the term
“minimum” rather than “mandatory” continuing legal education more accurately reflects the spirit
of the rule’s intent, and has been utilised throughout.

Regulatory systems should require that lawyers, as part of their mandatory continuing legal
education either through a separate credit or through existing ethics and professionalism credits,
complete programs related to the promotion of racial and ethnic diversity in the legal profession,
the promotion of full and equal participation in the profession of women and persons with
disabilities, and the elimination of all forms of bias in the profession. Lawyers who practice in
states and territories that do not require mandatory continuing legal education are encouraged to
complete such programs as part of their continuing legal education. Every active lawyer in the state
shall complete fifteen (15) hours of continuing legal education annually39.

Section 2 of the Model Rule for Minimum Continuing Legal Education (amended in 1996 and
2004) prepared by the American Bar Association Standing Committee on Continuing Legal
Education requires every active lawyer in the state to complete fifteen (15) hours of continuing
legal education annually.

Section 7 of the Model Rule says that individual course or activity approval to be approved for
35 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continuing_legal_education
36 Sirota, Rima, Making CLE Voluntary and Pro Bono Mandatory: A Law Faculty Test Case (2017).
Louisiana Law Review, Vol. 78, No. 2, 2017. Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3147035
37 Sirota, Rima, Making CLE Voluntary and Pro Bono Mandatory: A Law Faculty Test Case (2017).

Louisiana Law Review, Vol. 78, No. 2, 2017. Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3147035
38 Sirota, Rima, Making CLE Voluntary and Pro Bono Mandatory: A Law Faculty Test Case (2017).

Louisiana Law Review, Vol. 78, No. 2, 2017. Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3147035
39 https://www.americanbar.org/content/dam/aba/administrative/cle/aba_model_rule_cle.pdf

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credit, continuing legal education courses or activities, including educational activities involving
the use of computer-based resources, offered by non-approved sponsors must meet the following
standards. A Continuing Legal Education Committee may grant credit for such courses upon the
written application of a non-approved sponsor or an attendee. The Model Rule of the American
Bar Association further prescribes:

a) The course or activity must be of intellectual or practical content and, where possible,
include a professional responsibility component;
b) The course or activity must contribute directly to lawyers' professional competence or
skills, or their education concerning their professional or ethical obligations; (c) course or
activity leaders or lecturers must have the necessary practical or academic skills to conduct
or facilitate the course or activity effectively;
c) Before, at, or during the course or activity, each attendee must be provided with the course
or activity materials, either print or electronic, of a quality and quantity which indicate that
adequate time has been devoted to their preparation and that they will be of value to the
registrants in their practices40.

The National Academy of Continuing Legal Education is a provider of accredited continuing legal
education courses throughout the United States. From its inception, the Academy has been firmly
committed to addressing the needs of attorneys. It has positioned itself as a leading provider of
cost-effective and time-efficient continuing legal education courses. Also, to live seminars,
NACLE provides full course credit via DVDs and Audio CDs as well as online courses with any
Web Browser & our iOS/Android App depending on the respective state41

According to the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans, Continuing legal education
(CLE) can be administered for all states that require CLE if the session is legal in content and
comprehensive outlines or other materials are distributed at the session. In most CLE states listed
below, the International Foundation seeks approval after the program has taken place. Only those
sessions attended by attorneys in the respective states are submitted for credit.

The following states require continuing legal education as of January 1, 2006:

 Alabama  Maine  Oklahoma

 Arizona  Minnesota  Oregon
 Arkansas  Mississippi  Pennsylvania
 California  Missouri  RhodeIsland
 Colorado  Montana  SouthCarolina,
 Florida  Nebraska  Tennessee
 Idaho  Nevada  Texas
 Delaware  New Hampshire,  Utah
 Georgia  New Jersey  Vermont
 Illinois  New Mexico  Virginia
 Indiana  New York,  Washington
 Kansas  NorthCarolina,  WestVirginia,
 Kentucky  NorthDakota  Wisconsin
 Louisiana  Ohio  Wyoming.

40 https://www.americanbar.org/content/dam/aba/administrative/cle/aba_model_rule_cle.pdf
41 https://www.nacle.com/About-Nacle

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Further, some special circumstances apply to a few states, as follows:

California: The International Foundation is approved as a CLE provider under Section 9 of

the MCLE Rules and Regulations. Sessions that are legal in the content are approved for credit
without seeking individual approval. A 2½-day seminar generally includes 12 to 16 (60-
minute) hours of credit.

Indiana: The International Foundation is an approved sponsor of CLE courses in Indiana.

Under this status, it is unnecessary to apply for individual course approval if the course adheres
to the guidelines outlined in Admission and Discipline Rule 29. Indiana requires the
International Foundation to report the hours of continuing education completed by each Indiana
attorney (to include a description of the program content). When an attorney uses the
continuing education forms and requests a credit in Indiana, the Foundation will report this
information to the Indiana Bar.

Missouri: The International Foundation is an accredited sponsor of continuing legal education

activities prescribed by the rules and regulations of the Missouri State Bar governing minimum
continuing legal education. (The Foundation is required to file an annual report with the
Missouri Bar.)
Nevada: The International Foundation is an accredited sponsor of continuing legal education
activities in Nevada. Sessions sponsored by the Foundation that comply with Regulation 3 as
to session content automatically qualify for credit toward Nevada’s mandatory requirement.
Attendance must be reported to the bar by the Foundation.

New York: Members of the New York Bar may apply CLE credit earned at International
Foundation programs toward their New York CLE requirements because the International
Foundation is accredited in several states* that fall under the New York CLE Board’s Approved
Jurisdiction policy.

Pennsylvania: The International Foundation is approved as an Accredited CLE Provider.

Because of the Accredited Provider status, programs will be presumptively approved,
providing that they follow the Pennsylvania CLE Rules and Regulations. Pennsylvania
attorneys must request credit on their registration forms since the International Foundation
must send a notice to the Pennsylvania Bar before the program taking place and report credit
to the bar on behalf of the attorneys. The International Foundation will pay the Pennsylvania
Bar's per credit hour reporting fee. It will invoice the attorney for this fee when the Continuing
Education Certificate is mailed to the attorney. All Pennsylvania attorneys requesting credit
will be assessed these fees and must submit a Pennsylvania CLE evaluation form to
International Foundation42.

Connecticut’s new requirement for Minimum Continuing Legal Education says that unless
otherwise exempt, each attorney admitted in Connecticut shall certify annually on the
registration form required by Practice Book Sec 2-27(d) that they have completed twelve credit
hours of continuing legal education in the previous calendar year. Of those twelve credits, at
least two must be in ethics and professionalism. You may carry over two hours of credit from
the prior year, even from 2016 to 2017. In June 2016, the Judges of the Superior Court of
Connecticut adopted the rule found in Practice Book Sec 2-27A. Any bar association does not
administer it. The rule is administered by the MCLE Commission, whose members are

42 https://www.ifebp.org/education/continuinged/attorneys/Pages/default.aspx
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appointed by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. Sec. 2-27A of Connecticut new rules on
Minimum Continuing Legal Education prescribes that:

“(a) On an annual basis, each attorney admitted in Connecticut shall certify, on the
registration form required by Section 2-27(d), that the attorney has completed in the
last calendar year no less than twelve credit hours of appropriate continuing legal
education, at least two hours of which shall be in ethics/professionalism. The ethics and
professionalism components may be integrated with other courses.”

To be eligible for continuing legal education credit, the course or activity must:

a) Have significant intellectual or practical content designed to increase or maintain the

attorney’s professional competence and skills as a lawyer;
b) Constitute an organised program of learning dealing with matters directly related to
legal subjects and the legal profession; and
c) Be conducted by an individual or group qualified by practical or academic experience.

Minimum Continuing Legal Education intends to provide attorneys with relevant and useful
continuing legal education covering the broadest spectrum of the substantive, procedural,
ethical and professional subject matter at the lowest cost reasonably feasible and with the least
amount of supervision, structure and reporting requirements, which will aid in the
development, enhancement and maintenance of the legal knowledge and skills of practising
attorneys and will facilitate the delivery of competent legal services to the public. The rule also
permits an attorney to design their course of study. Like all other professionals, the law is
constantly evolving, and attorneys are expected to keep abreast of changes in the profession
and the law if they are to provide competent representation. Subsection (a) provides that
Connecticut attorneys must complete twelve credit hours of continuing legal education per the
calendar year.

Subsection (a) also lists those Connecticut attorneys who are exempt from compliance,
including, among others: judges, senior judges, attorneys serving in the military, new attorneys
during the year in which they are admitted to practice, attorneys who earn less than $1000 in
compensation for the provision of legal services in the subject year, and those who obtain an
exempt status for a good cause shown. The subsection also provides exemptions for disbarred
attorneys, resigned, on inactive status due to disability, or are retired. The exemption for
attorneys who earn less than $1000 in compensation in a particular year is not intended to apply
to attorneys who claim that they were not paid due to billed fees to a client. All compensation
received for the provision of legal services, whether the result of billed fees or otherwise, must
be counted. There is no exemption for attorneys who are suspended or on administrative
suspension.

Subsection (d) requires an attorney to maintain adequate records of compliance. For continuing
legal education courses, a certificate of attendance shall be sufficient proof of compliance. For
self-study, a contemporary log identifying and describing the course listened to or watched and
listing the date and time the course was taken, as well as a copy of the syllabus or outline of
the course materials, if available, and, when appropriate, a certificate from the course provider,
shall be sufficient proof of compliance. For any other form of continuing legal education, a file
including a log of the time spent and drafts prepared shall be the proof of compliance43.

43 https://www.jud.ct.gov/MCLE/MCLE_rule.pdf
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MCLE Requirements in the USA

Below is a table providing details of MCLE requirements as per the American Bar Association
in the United States44.
MCLE Report Credit hours Speciality credits Compliance Program
requirements period required Formats
Alabama 1 year 12 hours per All attorneys Live, in-person
reporting period report meetings, Live
annually Webinars and
Teleconference
s On-Demand
Online
Courses
Alaska Same 3 hours of ethics Same as Same as above
as credit per above
above reporting period.
Attorneys are
encouraged to
complete an
additional
9 hours of
general
voluntary CLE
(VCLE)
Arizona Same 15 hours per 3 hours of Same as Same as above
as reporting period professional above
above responsibility
credit per
reporting period
Arkansas Same 12 hrs per Same as Same as above
as reporting period above
above
British Same Same as above 2 hrs of All attorneys Same as above
Columbia as professional
above responsibility
and ethics,
California 3years 25hrs per 4hrs of ethics Attorney Same as above
reporting period credit; 1 hr of
competence
issues credit; 1
hr of elimination
of bias in the
profession, per
reporting period

44 https://www.americanbar.org/events-cle/mcle/
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MCLE Report Credit hours Speciality credits Compliance Program

requirements period required Formats
Colorado Same 45 hours per 7 hours of ethics Varies by Same as above
as reporting credit per admission
above reporting period date
Connecticut 1 year 12 hrs per 2 hrs of ethics All attorneys Same as above
reporting period and/or report
professionalism annually
credit per
reporting period
Delaware 2 24 hours per 4 hours of ethics Varies by Same as above
years reporting period credit per admission
reporting period date
The District
of Columbia
does not have
an MCLE
requirement
at this time
Florida Three 33 hours per 5 hours in the varies Same as above
years reporting period area of ethics,
professionalism,
substance abuse,
or mental illness
awareness, per
reporting period;
add 3 credits in
approved
technical
programs.
Guam 1 year 10 hours per 2 hours of ethics All attorneys Same as above
reporting period or
professionalism
Georgia Same 12 hours per 1 hour of ethics All attorneys Same as above
as reporting period credit; 1 hour of report
above professionalism annually
credit, per
reporting period;
3 hours of trial
practice credit
for trial
attorneys only
Hawaii Same 3 hours per 1 hour of ethics Same as Same as above
as reporting period credit every 3 above
above years
Idaho 3 30 hours per 2 hours of ethics Varies by Same as above
years reporting period or professional admission
responsibility date

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MCLE Report Credit hours Speciality credits Compliance Program

requirements period required Formats
Illinois 2 30 hours per 6 hours of Attorneys Same as above
years reporting period
professional
responsibility
credit per
reporting period.
Of 6 hours, 1
hour must be of
diversity/inclusi
on and 1 hour
must be of
mental
health/substance
abuse
Indiana 3 36 hours per 3 hours of ethics Varies by Same as above
years reporting period, credit per admission
with with a minimum reporting period date
minim of 6 hours per
um year
yearly
requir
ement
s
Iowa 1 year 15 hours per 3 hours of ethics All attorneys Same as above
reporting period credit every 2 report
years ending on annually
the odd-
numbered year.
Iowa amended
its rules in
February 2012
to expand the
definition of
ethics to include
instruction
specifically
designed for
lawyers
regarding
substance abuse
and mental
health and
increased the
biennial ethics
requirement
from 2
to 3 hours

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MCLE Report Credit hours Speciality credits Compliance Program

requirements period required Formats
Kansas Same 12 hours per 2 hours of ethics Same as Same as above
as reporting period credit per above
above reporting period
Kentucky Same Same as above Same as above Same as Same as above
as above
above
Louisana Same 12.5 hours per 1 hour of ethics Same as Same as above
as reporting period and 1 hour of above
above professionalism
per reporting
period
Maine Same 11 hours per 1 hour of ethics All attorneys Same as above
as reporting period or professional report
above responsibility annually
per reporting
period
Minnesota 3 45 hours per 3 hours of ethics Attorneys Same as above
years reporting period and 2 hours of
elimination of
bias
Mississippi 1 year 12 hours per 1 hour of legal All attorneys Same as above
reporting period ethics, report
professional annually

Missouri Same 15 hours per 2 hours of Same as Same as above

as reporting period ethics/ above
above professionalism
credit per
reporting period
Montana Same Same as above 2 hours of Same as Same as above
as ethics/ above
above professionalism
credit per
reporting period
Nebraska Same 10 hours per 2 hours of ethics Same as
as reporting period or professional above
above responsibility
credit per
reporting period
Nevada Same 13 hours per 2 hours of Same as Same as above
as reporting period ethics/ above
above professionalism,
substance abuse,
prevention of
malpractice, or
attorney-client
relations
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MCLE Report Credit hours Speciality credits Compliance Program

requirements period required Formats
New Same 12 hours per 2 hours ethics/ Same as Same as above
Hampshire as reporting period professionalism, above
above substance abuse
prevention of
malpractice, or
attorney-client
relations per
reporting period
New Mexico Same 12 hours per 2 hours of ethics All attorneys Same as above
as reporting period or
above professionalism
New Jersey 2 24 hours per 4 hours in ethics Attorney Same as above
years reporting period and/or
professionalism
per reporting
period
New York Same Same as above 4 hours in ethics Attorneys Same as above
as and
above professionalism
credit per
reporting period
and, of the
remaining 20
credits, 1 hour in
diversity,
inclusion, and
elimination of
bias credit per
reporting period
North 1 year 12 hours per 2 hours of ethics All attorneys Same as above
Carolina reporting period and/or report
professionalism annually
credit per
reporting period;
1 additional
hour on
substance abuse
awareness or
debilitating
mental
conditions every
3 years
North Dakota 3 45 hours per 3 hours of ethics Attorneys Same as above
years reporting period credit per
reporting period

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MCLE Report Credit hours Speciality credits Compliance Program

requirements period required Formats
Northern 2 20 hours per No biennial All attorneys Same as above
Mariana years reporting period requirement.
Islands Every attorney
admitted after
July 1, 2002,
must complete a
course in
professionalism
sponsored
jointly by the
Commonwealth
Supreme Court
and CNMI Bar
Association
Ohio Same 24 hours per 2.5 hours of Attorneys Same as above
as reporting period professional
above conduct credit
per reporting
period
Oklahoma 1 year 12 hours per 1 hour of ethics All attorneys Same as above
reporting period credit per report
reporting period annually

Ontario Same Same as above 3 hours of All attorneys Same as above

as professional
above responsibility,
legal ethics and
practice
management for
experienced
(practising 2+
years) lawyers
(professionalism
hours) and 12
hours of
professional
responsibility,
legal ethics and
practice
management for
new lawyers in
their first two
full years of
practising law or
providing legal
services (new
lawyer CPD) l
development)
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MCLE Report Credit hours Speciality credits Compliance Program

requirements period required Formats
Oregon 3 45 hours per 5 hours of ethics All attorneys Same as above
years reporting period or report every
professionalism 3 years
and 1 hour on
lawyers’
statutory duty to
report child
abuse. In
alternate
reporting
periods, at least
3 additional
hours must be in
programs
accredited
for access to
justice
(elimination of
bias) under Rule
5.5(b)
Pennsylvania 1 year 12 hours per 1 hour of ethics Attorneys Same as above
reporting period for 2014
compliance
deadlines; 2
hours of ethics
beginning with
2015
compliance
deadlines
Puerto Rico 2 24 hours per 4 hours of Attorney Same as above
years reporting period ethics. For
attorneys with
active notary
status, 6 hours
of the total
required hours
must be notary
credits.
Rhode Island 1 year 10 hours per 2 hours of All attorneys Same as above
reporting period ethics credit per report
reporting period annually

South Same 14 hours per 2 hours of legal Same as Same as above

Carolina as reporting period ethics or above
above professional
responsibility At
least once every
3 annual
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MCLE Report Credit hours Speciality credits Compliance Program

requirements period required Formats
reporting
periods, 1 of
these 2
speciality hours
must be devoted
to instruction in
substance abuse
or mental health
issues and the
legal profession.
Tennessee 1 year 15 hours per 3 hours of ethics Same as Same as above
reporting period and above
professionalism
credit per
reporting period
Texas 1 year Same as above 3 hours of legal Attorneys Same as above
for ethics or legal must report
attorn professional annually.
eys responsibility
licens credit per
ed reporting period
two
years
or
more.
Utah 2 24 hours per 3 hours of legal Attorneys Same as above
years reporting period ethics or
professional
responsibility,
with 1 of the 3
hours in the area
of
professionalism
and civility
Vermont Same 20 hours per 2 hours of legal All attorneys Same as above
as reporting period ethics credit per
above reporting period
Virginia 1 year 12 hours per 2 hours of All attorneys Same as above
reporting period professionalism report
or legal ethics annually
credit per
reporting period
Virgin Same Same as above 2 hours of ethics All attorneys Same as above
Islands (US) as or
above professionalism

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MCLE Report Credit hours Speciality credits Compliance Program

requirements period required Formats
Washington 3 45 hours per 6 hours of ethics Attorneys Same as above
years reporting period
and professional
responsibility
and 15 hours of
law and legal
procedure per
reporting period,
as of January 1,
2016.
Wisconsin 2 30 hours per 3 hours of ethics Attorneys Same as above
years reporting period and professional
responsibility
credit per
reporting period
Wyoming 1 year 15 hours per 2 hours of legal All attorneys Same as above
reporting period ethics credit per report
reporting period annually
Note: Maryland, Massachusetts and Michigan do not have an MCLE requirement at this time.
Table 2: Different Model of CLE in the United States

Association for Continuing Legal Education (ACLEA)

ACLEA, the Association for Continuing Legal Education, is a dynamic organization devoted
to improving the performance of CLE professionals.Those who try it, love it. Over 30% of their
membership serves on committees and actively participates in the planning of programs and
in the governance of the organization. While the members are primarily from the United
States and Canada, they also hail from the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Africa,
and Mexico. Administrators, trainers, managers, educators, publishers, programmers and
meeting professionals are all members of ACLEA. [Source: https://www.aclea.org]

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2.1.3. Canada Model

Outside the United States, lawyers in various jurisdictions (such as British Columbia in
Canada) must also complete certain required CLE45. In 1978 the Federation of Law Societies
of Canada held a Conference on Quality of Legal Services and in 1980 held a workshop on the
same subject. It concluded that continuing legal education should be fostered but it was not
prepared to recommend mandatory continuing legal education. Organised efforts at programs
of continuing legal education are increasing in most provinces46.

Continuing Education for Lawyers - Alberta

The Law Society of Alberta’s Continuing Professional Development (CPD) program is a
regulatory program of the Law Society. It is a mandatory requirement for all active lawyers in
Alberta to make a CPD Plan declaration annually. The goal of the CPD program is to enhance
lawyer competence and be accountable to the public for the ongoing professional development
and competence of lawyers.
The aim is to ensure that each lawyer in Alberta strives for excellence in their practice through
the mandatory annual planning and implementation of an effective CPD plan. To this end, the
Rules and Code of Conduct require every active lawyer to:

 annually prepare and make a record of a CPD plan in writing or electronic form;
 on or before March 15 of each year, make a declaration to the Law Society that their
annual CPD plan has been made; and
 retain the written or electronic record of the CPD plan for five years and produce the
CPD plan to the Law Society upon request.
Although there is no mandatory minimum hourly requirement, the annual planning, declaration
and implementation of a CPD plan is mandatory for all active lawyers practising in Alberta.
Each active lawyer is accountable for
developing, implementing and declaring their
CPD plan. Rule 67.2 requires that each lawyer
record and keep their CPD plans for 5 years
and provide their plans to the Law Society
upon request.
In the upcoming year, the Law Society will
develop a more robust regulatory framework
to ensure that lawyers are held accountable for
developing and implementing high-quality
CPD plans. It is not necessary to have CPD
activities accredited by the Law Society of
Alberta. A lawyer should ensure that the CPD
activities you undertake and incorporate into
your CPD Plan meet Rule 67.1.47

45 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continuing_legal_education
46 https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/legal-education
47 https://www.ifebp.org/education/canadiancontinuinged/lawyers/Pages/Alberta.aspx

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Continuing Education for Lawyers - British Columbia

Professional development remains voluntary in BC, but the Benchers urge lawyers to target a
minimum of 12 hours of coursework and 50 hours of self-study each year. The Law Society
requires that all practising BC lawyers complete and report completion online of at least 12
hours of continuing professional development (CPD) in accredited educational activities each
calendar year.
At least two of the 12 hours must pertain to any combination of professional responsibility and
ethics, client care and relations, or practise management. If one does not complete the CPD by
December 31, a late fee of $500 (plus tax applies) (Rule 3-18.4(1)). If one does not report
completion of the CPD by December 31, a late fee of $200 (plus tax) applies (Rule 3- 18.4(3)).
If one does not complete and report completion by April 1 of the following year, you will be
suspended until all required professional development is completed. Lawyers receive 60 days
prior notice of the suspension (Rule 18.5)48

Continuing Education for Lawyers - Manitoba

Since 2012, practising lawyers must complete one hour of eligible continuing professional
development activities for each month in a calendar year during which they maintained active
practising status in Manitoba. If a lawyer maintained active practising status for three or more
months in the calendar year, one and a half hours of the total hours must relate to ethics,
professional responsibility or practice management.
The Benchers of the Law Society approved Guiding Principles for Mandatory Professional
Development. The following administrative policies will assist lawyers in meeting the
requirements and will promote a consistent interpretation of the guidelines. To calculate
eligible CPD hours:

 refreshment breaks may be included;

 lunch breaks may only be included when there is a luncheon speaker and only for
the time allocated for the speaker’s presentation;
 time may be rounded up to the nearest quarter of an hour;
 carryover of CPD Hours to the Immediate Next Year
The CEO of the Law Society has pre-approved the Federation of Law Societies’ Family Law
Program and Criminal Law Program for carryover of up to 12 hours of CPD to the immediate
next year. This may include a carryover of up to 1.5 hours for ethics, professional responsibility
and practice management. Individual lawyers do not need to request pre-approval for carryover.
The actual presentation time will be multiplied by a factor of three to reflect preparation time.
For example, 30 minutes of presentation time will be equal to 1.5 CPD hours. Writing hours
can be credited based on the actual time to produce the final product to a maximum of six hours
for each writing project. Credit is available for volunteer or part-time writing only and not for
writing as part of the lawyer’s regular employment. Credit is available for writing law books,
articles, blogs intended for publication and relating to the study or practice of law for one or
more of the following audiences:

 lawyers, paralegals, articling students and/or law school students; or

 other professions, including students in a licensing program for another profession; or
 students in another educational program; or

48 https://www.ifebp.org/education/canadiancontinuinged/lawyers/Pages/BritishColumbia.aspx
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 the public, but

 not for writing targeted primarily at clients.49

Continuing Education for Lawyers - New Brunswick

Mandatory Continuing Professional Development (CPD) came into effect on January 1, 2010.
All members with practising status must complete twelve (12) hours of mandatory continuing
professional development annually (January 1 - December 31). These hours can be earned
through various educational activities, including teaching, writing, group study and in-house
educational sessions. For the first year of operation (2010), there will be no sanction for non-
compliance50

Continuing Education for Lawyers - Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia Barristers’ Society CPD requirement consists of two components – a mandatory
component and a recommended component. From June 1, 2012, each practising member of the
Nova Scotia Barristers’ Society will be required to complete 12 hours of continuing
professional development annually and report that education on their Annual Lawyer Report.
During the first year of the new requirement, CPD may be taken in any area relevant to a
lawyer’s practice, delivered through an eligible CPD activity. In the second and subsequent
years, it must include a minimum of two hours in each of three areas:

 Substantive Legal Education and Skills Development,

 Risk and Practice Management and
 Professionalism.
 The CPD Requirement Figure provides more information on the types of courses and
means of learning acceptable for obtaining your 12 hours of required CPD.
Besides, the Society’s CPD Handbook offers commonly asked questions and answers about
the Requirement. There is wide latitude in terms of how the 12 hours can be achieved,
emphasising accessibility and affordability. Society will not be accrediting programs. Instead,
lawyers are free to choose an education that is the most relevant to their law practice. If you
have questions about whether a particular offering is appropriate, email us at CPD@nsbs.org
or leave a message on the Society’s CPD line at (902) 422-1491 ext. 371. Someone will respond
to your query within five business days.
The Society continues to recommend that members engage in at least 50 hours of self-
learning/self-study annually, in addition to the new requirement, and that they prepare a yearly
professional development plan. See the CPD Requirement Figure for more information.51

Continuing Education for Lawyers – Ontario

The Law Society of Upper Canada’s CPD Requirement says that lawyers and paralegals who
have been practising law or providing legal services for more than 2 years must complete in
each calendar year at least 12 CPD Hours in Eligible Educational Activities [PDF] consisting
of a minimum of 3 Professionalism Hours on topics related to professional responsibility, ethics

49 https://www.ifebp.org/education/canadiancontinuinged/lawyers/Pages/Manitoba.aspx
50 https://www.ifebp.org/education/canadiancontinuinged/lawyers/Pages/NewBrunswick.aspx
51 https://www.ifebp.org/education/canadiancontinuinged/lawyers/Pages/NovaScotia.aspx
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or practice management and up to 9 Substantive Hours per year. The Law Society of Upper
Canada must accredit only Professionalism Hours. The remaining 9 Substantive Hours need
not be accredited. Substantive Hours may address substantive or procedural law topics or
related skills. Non-legal subjects may also be eligible for Substantive Hours if they are relevant
to the lawyer's or paralegal practice and professional development.
Lawyers and paralegals in the 100% fee-paying category are subject to the requirement.
Besides, lawyers and paralegals in other fee categories providing legal services to clients,
including on a pro bono basis or as a life member, are subject to the requirement. See Fee
Categories for more information. Continuing professional development (CPD) is defined as
maintaining and enhancing a lawyer's or paralegal's professional knowledge, skills, attitudes,
and professionalism throughout the individual's career. It is a positive tool that benefits lawyers
and paralegals and is an essential component of the commitment they make to the public to
practise law or provide legal services competently and ethically. The Law Society has an
important role in supporting the efforts of lawyers and paralegals to maintain and enhance that
competence. It also must ensure that all persons who practise law or provide legal services in
Ontario meet standards of learning, professional competence and professional conduct
appropriate for the legal services they provide.
The CPD requirement recognises a range of Eligible Educational Activities [PDF], including
attendance at CPD programs delivered in various formats. CPD programs are formal,
instruction-based sessions and may be offered by organisations such as education providers,
law associations, law firms, government associations and industry groups. As of April 26,
2012, lawyers and paralegals may claim the following types of participation in CPD programs
toward the CPD requirement:

 Attendance in person, online or by telephone at live CPD programs and courses that
provide an opportunity to interact with colleagues and instructors. This must include
the ability to ask questions, directly or indirectly, e.g., the ability to email a question
to the content provider during the online presentation

 Viewing or listening to recorded or archived CPD programs and courses with at least
one colleague

 Viewing or listening to archived or recorded CPD programs or courses without a

colleague for a maximum of 6 hours per year

 Participation in asynchronous, online CPD courses that prompt responses throughout

the learning process, such as requiring participants to respond to questions before
they can move to the next module or section for a maximum of 6 hours per year
Besides, a range of alternate educational activities are eligible for CPD Hours:

 participation as a registrant in a college, university or other designated educational

institution program, including interactive distance education;
 Teaching (to a maximum of 6 hours per year). Actual teaching time will be multiplied
by a factor of 3 to reflect preparation time;
 acting as a judge or coach in a mooting competition at the law school level;
 acting as an Articling Principal or mentoring or being mentored or supervising a
paralegal field placement (to a maximum of 6 hours per year);
 writing and editing books or articles (to a maximum of 6 hours per year);
 participation in study groups of 2 or more colleagues;
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Eligible activities will not be limited to subject matter dealing primarily with the practice of
Ontario or Canadian law. Subject matter related to the law of other provinces and countries and
non-legal subjects will be eligible if relevant to the lawyer’s or paralegal's practise and
development as a practitioner52

Continuing Education for Lawyers - Prince Edward Island

In cooperation with the PEI Branch of the Canadian Bar Association, the Law Society of Prince
Edward Island offers a Continuing Legal Education program to members and clerks about the
ongoing practice of law. The Law Society also supports programs offered by other legal
education providers by giving credit to members for attendance at approved CLE programs.
The Society’s Continuing Legal Education Committee organises at least four CLE’s during the
year53
The Comité automatically recognises training activities held outside the Province of Québec
and approved by another Canadian bar or foreign bar as part of an MCLE program in that other
bar. The member of the Québec Bar must declare in their annual statement the training hours
spent and retain the proof of registration and participation54.
In Canada, rules vary by jurisdiction (i.e., provinces and territories). For example, Alberta has
a mandatory Continuing Professional Development (CPD) program, requiring annual CPD
plans. Lawyers develop their plans and declare to the Law Society of Alberta on an annual
basis that these are complete. The Legal Education Society of Alberta provides tools to
facilitate compliance with these requirements.
In Ontario, the Law Society of Upper Canada, beginning in 2010, instituted mandatory CPD
hours for all lawyers in the province. In British Columbia, CPD is mandatory, and lawyers must
annually report their continuing legal education activities to the Law Society of British
Columbia. The Continuing Legal Education Society of BC provides tools to facilitate
compliance with these requirements. Practising lawyers must complete a minimum of 12 hours
of coursework and 50 hours of self-study annually55.

Third Party Continuing Professional Development (CPD) in Canada

Women’s Legal Education & Action Fund (LEAF) organises Personhood Speaker Series:
"Gender Equality for Migrant Women and Gender-Diverse People in Canada – Reflections
from the Middle of the Pandemic” to discuss what makes a ‘person’ and whose voices need
centering in conversations about gender equality in 2021 and beyond. For Ontario lawyers,
this panel has been accredited by the Law Society of Ontario and contains 1 hour and 30
minutes of content. For Nova Scotia lawyers, consider including this course as a CPD learning
activity in your mandatory annual Continuing Professional Development Plan as required by
the Nova Scotia Barristers’ Society. [ www.leaf.ca ]

52 https://www.ifebp.org/education/canadiancontinuinged/lawyers/Pages/Ontario.aspx
53 https://www.ifebp.org/education/canadiancontinuinged/lawyers/Pages/PrinceEdwardIsland.aspx
54 https://www.ifebp.org/education/canadiancontinuinged/lawyers/Pages/Quebec.aspx
55 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continuing_legal_education

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2.1.4. France Model

Formation Professionnelle Juridique

Since January 1st, 2005, French Law has made it mandatory for the lawyers to update their
professional expertise in compliance with a generic “duty of competence.” The Requirements
are as follows:

 20 hours a year (from January 1st to December 31st), or

 40 hours in 2 consecutive years
 1 CLE credit = 1 hour
If a lawyer fails to comply with the above requirements, he may face disciplinary proceedings56.
According to the Code of Ethics applicable to French lawyers (“Règlement Intérieur National
de la Profession d’Avocat – RIN”), each lawyer is required to provide its clients with up-to-
date legal advice regarding applicable laws and regulations.
Moreover, article Law n ° 71-1130 of 31 December 1971 (a French law reforming the certain
judiciary and legal professions) makes it mandatory for French lawyers to follow a continuous
legal education program (“formation continue”). Article 14-2 of the law says that continuous
legal education is compulsory for lawyers registered with a French bar.
Continuous Legal Education aims to ensure the updation of legal knowledge by practising
French lawyers. All French lawyers are under a legal obligation to participate in or attend legal
seminars or write and publish legal matters. The obligations of French attorneys regarding their
continuous legal education are provided in a detailed manner in decision No. 2005-001 of the
National French Bar Council.57
In addition to this, vocational training (formations professionnelles) is available to employees
who need training during work. Vocational training includes the following components:

 intensive courses of short duration (between half a day and a week);

 specialised courses for skill development in particular areas;
 courses of long duration (six months or one year);
 distance learning online courses; and
 courses offered by phone;
Such courses cater to the needs of employees who are seeking promotion or considering
professional expertise. Those looking for a job may also avail the courses and add skills and
experiences in their resume, thus increasing their chances of being called by recruiters.
Vocational training is usually offered through the specialised centres established in various
regions though sometimes the trainers agree to come to a company if several employees want
to undergo the same training at the same time.58
One can identify many institutions that offer professional training throughout France. Different
institutions offer different training. If one wants to undergo training, on may do some research
by comparing the institutions that offer different courses. Different types of courses varying in

56 http://www.eccle.eu/european-center-for-continuing-legal-education/
57 http://www.french-business-law.com/french-attorneys-and-continuous-legal-education-page20.html
58 https://diplomeo.com/formation_professionnelle-juridique

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duration are available to different types of audience. One can enumerate some courses that are
taught to lawyers in France59

 techniques relating to negotiation and drafting of the contract

 organising an effective legal watch
 decrypting the accounts of a company
 conduction of a trial and proceeding preparation
 teaching legal English
 improving and mastering written communication
 skill development in making the best use of the legal function in the company

2.1.5. Australian Model

In Australia, the Continuing Legal Education Committee comprises lawyers from diverse
backgrounds and practice areas with rich experience in lawyering. The Continuing Legal
Education Committee caters to New South Wales Young Lawyers' need by contributing to The
Law Society’s Continuing Professional Development Program round the year. The Committees
of New South Wales (NSW) Young Lawyers’ participate in contributing to the Continuing
Professional Development Program. The idea is to keep oneself abreast of the changes
happening in law by imparting up to date knowledge to law professionals.
The Continuing Legal Education Committee’s objective is to provide help in

 preparing Continuing Professional Development programs;

 networking and event opportunities for fresh lawyers;
 giving seminars to freshers to learn about the practical aspects;
 introducing lawyers to the basics of major practice areas;
 selecting presenters who are experts in their respective areas of practice;
 engaging with members in providing innovative events that cater to their changing
needs60.

Continuing Legal Education Association of Australasia (CLEAA),

The Continuing Legal Education Association of Australasia (CLEAA), is a not-for profit

organisation dedicated to the needs of professionals from Australia, New Zealand, Asia and
the South Pacific who are involved in providing continuing legal education and professional
development to the legal profession. CLEAA provides an essential forum for the exchange of
ideas, insights, problems and information. Membership of CLEAA is open to any person
involved or interested in the provision of continuing legal education and legal professional
development throughout Australia, New Zealand, Asia and the South Pacific.

The membership is made up of Continuing Legal Education [CLE] professionals with diverse
backgrounds including in law, education and from many industry and professional sectors
including: Institutions, professional member associations and regulatory bodies including Law
societies, Bar associations, Practical legal training organisations, University law schools, Law
Firms, Government departments, Commercial providers of Continuing Legal Education and
Professional Development. [ Source: https://cleaa.asn.au/about-cleaa ]

59 https://diplomeo.com/formation_professionnelle-juridique
60 https://www.lawsociety.com.au/legal-communities/NSW-young-lawyers/committees/CLE
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3. THE INDIAN CONTEXT

Though one hears the echo of the Continuing Legal Education in India also, this type of
education has not yet been able to make its way in a full-fledged manner into the Bar and the
Bench, as seen in Western countries. It seems that the Bench has felt the need for Continuing
Legal Education (CLE) more urgently as the National Judicial Academy, established in 1993,
resolved to provide CLE to judicial officers and ministerial officers of the courts61. The
National Judicial Academy considers the CLE as a process of “creating solutions” and judicial
education as a process of “creating solutions for strengthening the administration of justice. 62
The Model National Judicial Education Curriculum of the National Judicial Academy
comprises induction and continuing judicial education for judicial officers of all levels63. In the
words of Justice R. C. Lahoti, “National Judicial Academy set up by the Supreme Court under
support from the Department of Justice, Government of India has, in a short span of three years,
evolved as a premier centre for judicial training and continuing education attracting the
attention of judges not only of India but of other countries as well64.” According to N. R.
Madhava Menon, the National Judicial Academy started its activities around 2003. Still, very
soon, the Supreme Court, under the dynamic leadership of the then Chief Justice, made
continuing education compulsory for judges and court staff.

It seems that the ripple effect of the initiative taken by the National Judicial Academy was felt
by the Bar in June 2016 when in a two-day conference by the Bar Council of India attended by
the Supreme Court Justice Dipak Misra and the Law Minister D V Sadananda Gowda,
Professor Madhava Menon emphasised the “need of continuing legal education to the lawyers,”
Justices Amreshwar Pratap Sahi (Allahabad high court), Ajay Kumar Tripathi and Chakradhari
Sharan Singh (Patna high court) also stressed the urgency for the Continuing Legal Education.
The Bar Council of India chairman Manan Kumar Mishra acknowledged the need for
amendments in the Advocate Act concerning the Continuing Legal Education for “better
training of lawyers” and wrote to the government in this regard. He also said the Bar Council
of India wants all the non-practising lawyers disassociated from all Bar Associations65.
As of 2012, the Directorate of Legal Education, constituted by the Bar Council of India, among
other things, aims to run, conduct, hold and administer the Continuing Legal Education66. In
the last quarter of 2013, “drafted a brief overview of legislative and policy initiatives taken in
the recent past to be taught at judicial academies in 22 states.” The step was undertaken to:

 Assist Judges to update their knowledge and hone their skills;

 Incorporate elements that improve the efficiency and productivity of the judiciary;
 Develop competence in speedy delivery of justice;
 Improve the performance of judges;
 Improve the quality of justice; and

61 http://www.nja.nic.in/Director's_Message.html
62 http://www.nja.nic.in/the-institution.html
63 http://www.nja.nic.in/the-institution.html
64http://www.nja.nic.in/Jounals_Publications_Newsletters/Journal%20of%20the%20National%20Judici

al%20Academy%20Volume-1-C.pdf
65Madhava Menon, judges stress continuing legal education (CLE) to BCI,

https://www.legallyindia.com/lawschools/madhava-menon-judges-stress-continuing-legal-education-
cle-to-bci- 20160606-7680
66 http://pib.nic.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=123644;

http://www.barcouncilofindia.org/about/about-the- bar-council-of-india/directorate-of-legal-education/
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 Strengthen the justice delivery system.

It is now widely believed that the number of courts and judges will not solve all the problems
related to the imparting of justice; what is most urgently needed is the proper training and
continuing education for judges67. Despite the widespread recognition of the continuing
judicial education as a sine qua non for improving the skills of judges, some experts are raising
concerns about whether it is legitimate for the executive to prescribe the curriculum for judges
because the executive might be crossing its jurisdiction in proposing the curriculum for an
independent judiciary. Such a step may undermine the independence of the judiciary. Some are
even saying that the executive may want to train judges along its line because of its own
interests, proposing Continuing Legal Education for judges. Therefore, the executive’s
interference in matters relating to judicial education should not be allowed.
Another related concern is whether the executive, through its law ministry, is competent
enough to prepare a course for judges68. In this regard, Pattabhi Ramarao Kovuru69 draws our
attention to a case decided by the Supreme Court in 1993. In All India Judges’ Association and
others vs Union of India and Others, the Court made the following observation:
Neither knowledge derived from books nor pre-service training can be an adequate
substitute for the first-hand experience of the working of the court system and the
administration of justice begotten through legal practice. The practise involves much
more than mere advocacy. A lawyer has to interact with several components of the
administration of justice. Unless the judicial officer is familiar with the working of the
said components, his education and equipment as a judge are likely to remain
incomplete. The court stressed the importance of court-craft and continuing judicial
education with a pragmatic approach70.
It appears that the Court rightly stressed the inadequacy of bookish knowledge and pre-service
training. There can be no substitute for the first-hand experience of the working of the court
system and the administration of justice mediated by the legal practice. Learning the court-craft
through continuing judicial education assumes great importance. But the question is whether
continuing judicial education is synonymous with the first- hand experience or not. Is
continuing judicial education just another name for the first-hand experience? The Court did
not explicitly answer the question, but it used the word “pragmatic” that suggests that
continuing judicial education is just another name for the first-hand experience.
In 2014, the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India, launched the
Study Webs of Active-Learning for Young Aspiring Minds (SWAYAM) Programme as part
of the MOOC initiative. The educational programme is meant to offer online courses free of
cost to citizens of India. The courses are prepared by institutions like IITs, IIMs, and
universities funded by the central government. A nominal fee is also charged if a learner needs
a certificate after the completion of the course71.
At present, Pramod Naoroibam Manipur University, Kashmir University, National Law
University, Delhi, O. P. Jindal Global University, Dr Harisingh Gaur Vishwavidyalaya, Sagar,
Savitribai Phule Pune University, are offering law courses offered online on subjects such as

67 https://www.epw.in/node/129083/pdf
68 https://www.epw.in/node/129083/pdf
69 https://www.epw.in/node/129083/pdf
70 https://www.epw.in/node/129083/pdf
71 http://pib.nic.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=109585

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human rights, constitutional law, family law, business law, intellectual property law, and
criminal law72. The National Law University, Delhi, especially offers undergraduate and
postgraduate level courses73 on a wide range of subjects, including Research Methodology,
Corporate Law, Constitutional Law, Environmental Law, Criminal Law, Information and
Communication Technology, Intellectual Property, Criminal Justice Administration, and
Access to Justice74. The duration of all these subjects is fifteen weeks75.
Established by the Kerala Bar Council in 2015, the M K Nambiar Academy is the first of its
kind institution in India for continuing legal education for Advocates, Law Teachers and Law
Officers. Aimed to improve legal services and justice delivery quality, the programmes are
designed to educate and train legal personnel toward professional development in all its
dimensions76.
M K N Academy is headquartered in Kinfra Park, Kalamassery (Kochi), under construction.
When completed, the Academy will have residential facilities of up to 100 trainees with the
necessary smart classrooms and practice infrastructure, including Arbitration/Mediation
laboratories and support systems. Prof. (Dr.) N.R. Madhava Menon, who pioneered the Five
Year Integrated LL.B. programme in the 1970s at the National Law School, Bangalore and
later started Judicial education and training at the National Judicial Academy, Bhopal, is the
Hony. Director of the Kerala Bar Council’s M K N Academy for Continuing Legal Education77.
In 2016, M K Nambiar Academy for Continuing Legal Education, in association with the
National Law School of India University, Bangalore, offered CLE programmes including
subjects such as law teaching, research, crimes against women, legal aid agencies, children’s
right to education, skills required for prosecutors and defence lawyers, juvenile justice, child
rights, family law, uniform civil code, induction training for fresh Advocates, ADR and clinical
education, consumer rights advocacy, access to justice, cyber-crime, administration of criminal
justice, environmental litigation, corruption, promoting good governance, intellectual property
law practice, and public interest advocacy78. The courses offered were mostly free of charges,
including boarding and lodging79.
From its inception, NLSIU has laid a firm foundation in the sphere of Continuing Legal
Education programmes. The International Bar Association (IBA) has established an
Endowment Chair in this regard. The NLSIU has conducted a series of Continuing Legal
Education Programmes for young Lawyers, Judges, Administrators and Executives of
Corporate establishments on identified subject areas. Besides, various paralegal and public
legal education programmes are part of the teaching and research agenda of the NLSIU and the
CLE Unit. In addition to this, IBA-CLE Unit undertakes the conduct of Continuing Legal
Education Programmes on agreed terms80.

72 https://swayam.gov.in/courses/public
73 http://nludelhi.ac.in/images/moocs/moocs-courses.pdf
74 http://nludelhi.ac.in/moocs.aspx
75 http://nludelhi.ac.in/images/moocs/moocs-courses.pdf
76 https://www.nls.ac.in/resources/year2017/UGC2017env.pdf
77 https://www.nls.ac.in/resources/year2017/UGC2017env.pdf
78 https://nls.ac.in/resources/year2016/ibacle2016.pdf
79 https://nls.ac.in/resources/year2016/ibacle2016.pdf
80https://www.nls.ac.in/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=71%3Ainternational-bar-

association-continuing-legal-education-centre-iba-cle&catid=6%3Aacademic-programmes&Itemid=32
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4. STAKEHOLDER SURVEY

To consult stakeholders such as judges, lawyers, legal academicians, and others currently
engaged in the legal profession, IIM Kashipur partnered with the Citizens’ Foundation for
Policy Solutions - a Delhi-based think-tank - to conduct surveys holding consultative meetings
in New Delhi. The background and findings of this survey are presented here.

The term “stakeholder” in this report denotes all those individuals or groups connected to the
legal profession and the judiciary. This stakeholder survey is based on a questionnaire to gather
information from various stakeholders about their preferences, constraints, views, knowledge,
experience, and interests on various major issues of continuing legal education.

Classification of Survey Questions

Survey Questions Nature of the

Questions
Question 1: Name
Question 2: Professional Affiliation
Question 3: Year of joining the Bench/Bar/ Teaching/Advocate
Enrolment Number Personal Details
(See box for
Question 4: Address
research ethics
Question 5: Phone Number followed)
Question 6: E-Mail Address
Question 7: Do you permit to use your personal
information?

Question 8: Have you heard about the concept of lifelong professional

development online courses called Massive Open Online Courses Correlated
(MOOCs)? Close-Ended
Question 9: Are you familiar with self-learning MOOC courses such as Questions
Coursera, Udacity, EdX, and FutureLearn?

Question 10: Do you know that specialized MOOC programs are being
offered under the SWAYAM initiative by the central universities and
Correlated
other institutions in India since 2014?
Close-Ended
Question 11: If yes, do you think these digital courses based on new Questions
educational technology might help improve your professional
competence?

Question 12: Given your busy professional schedule, do you think that a
Close-Ended
MOOC is the ideal open learning solution to increase your competency?
Question 13: Have you ever signed up for any MOOC after completing Correlated
your education? Questions
Question 14: If yes, please provide the details. (Open-
Question 15: Do you think that your participation Ended and
improved your performance in the profession? If yes, how? Close-
Question 16: If yes, do you think that these courses sharpened your skills Ended)
only or subject knowledge also?

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Survey Questions Nature of the

Questions

Question 17: Do you think that the introduction of MOOCs is a good step Correlated
for law professionals in India? Questions
Question 18: If yes, should it be compulsory, or minimally compulsory or (Open-
optional? Why? Ended and
Question 19: If no, what are your reasons for not supporting any of these Close-
alternatives or MOOC as a whole? Ended)

Question 20: For which class of lawyers or justice actors do you think Open-Ended
MOOCs should be compulsory or minimally compulsory?
Question 21: What should be the duration of MOOC programs for law Open-Ended
professionals?
Question 22: Which substantive areas/skills are most required? Open-Ended
Question 23: Should MOOC programs be assessed, in your opinion? Open-Ended
Question 24: Should MOOC programmes be imparted free of charge or Open-Ended
not? Why?
Question 25: In your opinion, do we need any new MOOC providers or Open-Ended
the prestigious private or public institutions are sufficient for imparting
MOOCs?
Question 26: Do you see any obstacles in the implementation of MOOCs Open-Ended
in India?
Question 27: What are your suggestions to meet those obstacles? Open-Ended
Question 28: Any other suggestions/observations. Open-Ended
Table 3: Nature of Questions (Stakeholder Survey)

Research Ethics and Informed Consent

During the survey, the standard rules of research ethics (University of Connecticut) were
followed. All research participants have given an “informed” consent to participate. Research
participants with sufficient information about the study to make an “informed” decision about
participating in our research. The code of ethics that includes the following protections for
subjects:

 Protected from physical or psychological harm (including loss of dignity, loss of

autonomy, and loss of self-esteem)
 Protection of privacy and confidentiality
 Protection against unjustifiable deception

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5. ANALYSIS OF RESPONSES

The stakeholders' survey asked Americans dozens of questions on participants attitudes toward
continuing legal education (CLE) and their opinion, views and perceptions about the need,
implications, and opportunities to avail CLE. This section provides an overview and summary
of key analytical points of the survey. As we found in the participants of this research – lawyers,
law academics, judges, law firm representatives have diverse perspectives on CLE
implementation in India. At the moment, they are unanimous about the need and importance
of CLE. Still, we found that they have a very basic understanding of the emerging platforms of
Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC), their functions, and their connections to the
professional development of advocates in general. Our analysis of the survey data identifies
key points about the participants’ attitudes toward the CLE that will inform how we can
promote CLE in India.

Question 8: Have you heard about the concept of lifelong professional development
online courses called Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs)?

The response below has been classified as per the background experiences of the responses.

above 28 yrs of
experience, 3
24-27 years of
experience, 3
20 to 23 years of
experience, 3
16 to 19 years of
12-15 years of
experience, 2
experience, 4
8-11 years of
experience
0-3 yrs of experience,
04 to 7 yrs of 27
experience, 3

0 5 10 15 20 25 30
above 28 24 to 27 20 to 23 16 to 19 12 to 15 8 to 11 04 to 7 0-3

Figure 4: Experience wise response regarding the awareness of MOOC

Analysing the data received from responses, we find that the maximum percentage of ‘Yes’
responses came from young professionals. This demonstrates that fresh law graduates have a
higher awareness level of technological innovation in legal education. This is not surprising,
given that not only have young professionals received computer education in schools, but have
also often used computer-based legal databases right from the inception of their careers. On
the other hand, participants having greater experience demonstrate lower awareness levels.
Beyond the 20-year threshold level, many participants felt more comfortable using traditional
research sources, such as physical copies of law journals, segregated by years.

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Further, the affiliation-wise distribution of positive (yes) responses is as follows:

14
Academia 12
12 Advocates, 11 Online Legal
Educationalists, 10
10

6 Lawyers, 5 Policy Think Tank

Associates, 4
4 Supreme Court Judicial
Clerks, 2
2 Bar Council,1
Law firm Associates,1

0
Distribution of yes response

Academia Advocates Bar Council

Law Firm Associates Lawyers Online Legal Educationalists
Supreme Court Judicial Clerks Policy Think Tank Associates

Figure 5: Affiliation-wise Positive Response Regarding the Awareness about MOOC

Legal academicians recorded the highest awareness levels of MOOCs (80% of total
academicians surveyed). Awareness levels are higher because many law faculties have been
involved in the conceptualisation and imparting of MOOCs, whether through the SWAYAM
initiative or for distance learning courses under the flagship of their universities. Judges
recorded the least awareness levels.

Question 9: Are you familiar with self-learning MOOC courses such as Coursera,
Udacity, EdX, and FutureLearn?

Thirty-four per cent (34%) of the total sample size affirmed their awareness of MOOCs in
general and specific MOOC platforms. 11% of those surveyed acknowledged awareness of
MOOCs in general but denied knowing specific platforms such as Coursera, Udacity, EdX and
FutureLearn. 7% of the participants had heard of specific MOOCs but were not familiar with
the term ‘MOOC’ (See Figure 3).

Among all the sub-groups, practising advocates were found to have the least awareness of
specific MOOCs. Predominantly traditional means of gathering technical know-how was most
popular in this sub-group, with advocates contending that these courses would not help with
their practical day-to-day functioning in district courts.

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25
Advocates, 22

20

15 Lawyers,14

10 Law Firm Associates,9

Academia, 6
5 Bar Council,3 Judges,3

Academia Advocates Bar Council Judges Law Firm Associates Lawyers

Figure 6: Affiliation-wise awareness of MOOC Courses available online

Question 10: Do you know that specialised MOOC programs are being offered under the
SWAYAM initiative by the central universities and other institutions in India since 2014?

YES, 24%

YES
NO- 76% NO

Figure 7: Awareness about MOOC (SWAYAM) Initiative

Seventy-six per cent (76%) of the participants had not heard of the SWAYAM initiative. Legal
academicians had more awareness of the initiative, some of them having been involved in its
conceptualisation and implementation of the initiative from inception.

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Question 11: If yes, do you think these digital courses based on new educational
technology might help improve your professional competence?

Ninety-one (91%) of participants who had an affirmative response to Question 8 believe that
such digital courses would indeed enhance their professional competence. Out of this group,
some qualified their response by expressing concerns about the implementation of such
courses.

No
10%

Can't Say
43%

Yes
47%

Figure 8: Digital courses for improving professional competence

Some pertinent concerns about MOOCs have been specifically identified by the participants as
follows:

 MOOCs should impart learnings integral to the professional’s field of work.

 These should not replace the traditional one-to-one interactions between professors and
students.
 They should be subject to quality standards.
 Courses should offer time flexibility in terms of deadlines.

Question 12: Given your busy professional schedule, do you think that a MOOC is the
ideal open learning solution to increase your competency?

Most non-litigating lawyers believe that MOOCs would be the ideal open learning solution to
increase professional competence. As career options diversify from the more traditional fields,
such as litigation or the judiciary, updating technological and other professional skills becomes
increasingly necessary. New fields require new skills - whether subject matter-based or soft
skills-based. Hence, it follows that law graduates involved in new work fields are more
receptive to alternative means of education.

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14
Lawyer, 13

12
Advocate, 11

10

Academia, 8
8

Law Firm, 6
6

Judges, 4
4 Policy Think Tank, , 2

2 Online Legal Educators, ,

Bar Council, 1 1

0
Response

Figure 9: MOOC as an ideal open learning solution for competence building

Question 13: Have you ever signed up for any MOOC after completing your education?

YES
13%

NO
87%

Figure 10: Adoption of MOOC after completing Formal Legal Education

A majority (87%) of the participants had not signed up for any MOOC after completing their
education. It is pertinent to note here that although 45% of the participants affirmed their
awareness of MOOCs as a concept, the conversion from awareness to actual registration for
MOOCs is abysmally low. So, even though awareness regarding the course needs to be
encouraged, the actual registration for MOOCs requires separate attention by encouraging legal
academicians and professionals to realise the true worth of MOOCs.

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Question 14: If yes, please provide the details.

Out of those who confirmed having signed up for MOOCs, some popular picks are listed
below:

 SWAYAM – Course on Women and Law, Course on Innovation in Education

 WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organisation) Course on intellectual property
 UDEMY Courses
 Law Courses on www.enhelion.com

Question 15: Do you think that your participation improved your performance in the
profession? If yes, how?

Sixty-nine (69%) of those participants, who had signed up for MOOCs after completing their
education, believe that their participation improved their performance in the profession. Some
benefits that participants experienced from MOOCs are listed below.

 It helped in the dissemination of knowledge in the classroom for professors of law.

 Helped complement learning concerning theoretical concepts of interdisciplinary areas
of study.

Question 16: If yes, do you think that these courses sharpened your skills only or subject
knowledge also?

Most MOOC-learners felt that the courses sharpened their skills as well as their knowledge of
the subject matter. This is followed by those who confirmed having enhanced their knowledge
without any upskilling being involved. This points to the greater availability of MOOCs on
subject-based knowledge rather than skills (whether managerial, personal or technological)

Subject Knowledge,
38%

Both, 50%

Skills, 12%

Subject Knowledge Skills Both

Figure 11: Effect of MOOC

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Question 17: Do you think that the introduction of MOOCs is a good step for law
professionals in India?

Question 18: If yes, should it be compulsory, or minimally compulsory or optional? Why?

Question 19: If no, what are your reasons for not supporting any of these alternatives or
MOOC as a whole?

An overwhelming majority of the participants accepted that the introduction of MOOCs for
law professionals would be a good step. Most participants believed that any such courses
should be optional due to the hectic time schedules of lawyers. Also, professionals should be
able to select courses based on their field and interests. A lesser number believed that such
courses should be kept minimally compulsory, as CLE is an important means of learning while
working. However, at the same time, course-takers should have the option of choosing their
subjects of interest.

A few participants also felt that initially, the programme should be optional to gauge the
receptivity of the target group. After the initial stage, they can be made minimally compulsory.

NO
7%

YES
93%
NO YES

Figure 12: MOOC in CLE as a good step forward?

Out of those who felt that the introduction of MOOCs would not be a good idea, some felt that
classroom teaching employs better pedagogical standards, while some argued that the field of
law requires practical skills, which can be learnt through experience and not through CLE.

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Question 20: For which class of lawyers/justice actors do you think MOOCs should be
compulsory or minimally compulsory?

Word Map 1: Question 18 and 20

Out of those participants who felt that MOOCs should be made compulsory or minimally
compulsory, most said that the target group should be all lawyers. In contrast, some said it
should be compulsory for those new to the legal profession. Also, most felt that senior
advocates and judges should be excluded from the compulsory application of such courses.

Question 21: What should be the duration of MOOC programs for law professionals?

Word Map 2 Duration of MOOC Programmes (Question 21)

Responses to the question ranged from weekly lessons to courses spanning two months to one
year. Some participants were in favour of a life-long commitment, whereas others believed that
self-paced lessons are the best method of imparting MOOCs

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Question 22: Which substantive areas/skills are most required?

Word Map 3: Response for Question 22: required areas of importance

While most participants suggested that drafting and knowledge of procedural law were most
important, some felt that emerging fields such as Cyber Law should be included in the
curriculum. Yet, others believed that subject-specific courses such as on Intellectual Property
Rights would be beneficial. Some valuable insights gained from the responses are listed below.

Some Subjects Suggested by Participants who might be included in MOOCs:

 The interface of Law and Technology

 Contemporary Law (New Legislation)
 Information Technology Law
 Intellectual Property Laws
 Legal Pleading, Drafting and Conveyancing
 Constitutional Law
 Procedural Law
 Space Law
 Legal Ethics
 Interpretation of Statutes
 Civil Law

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Question 23: Should MOOC programs be assessed in your opinion?

No Can't say
14% 8%

Yes
78%

Can't say Yes No

Figure 13: Choice for Assessment Component in MOOC Programmes

Evidently, most participants were found to favour the assessment of MOOCs. However, some
responses expressed to the rider that the assessment should be objective-type (Multiple-Choice
Questions) and should not be graded formally.

Some inputs regarding assessment have been compiled from the responses and listed below.

 The questions may be objective-type.

 Both objective-type and subjective-type questions may be asked.
 Short, multiple-choice questions (MCQs) should be included at the end of every lesson
to test the retention of course-takers.
 It may be kept optional and required to be taken only for certificate courses.
 Certifications may be provided depending on grades achieved in course assessments.

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Question 24: Should MOOC programmes be imparted free of charge or not? Why?

60
FREE, 54

50

40

30
NOMINAL FEE, 24

20
CHARGED, 15

10 PHASED, 7

Free Charged Nominal Fee Phased Fee

Figure 14: Options of Free or Fee-based MOOC programmes

Some insights offered regarding fee are listed below.

 Should be free to increase accessibility for people of all economic strata.

 The nominal fee should be charged because people don’t value what comes for free.
 Should cover government expenses in running the course.
 Minimal costs should be charged; otherwise, it can be a barrier to professional growth
for those who can’t afford it or ill-afford it.
 Basic levels can be made free of cost, and if one wants to pursue higher levels, it should
be chargeable.
 Certification courses should be chargeable.

Question 25: In your opinion, do we need any new MOOC providers or the prestigious
private or public institutions are sufficient for imparting MOOCs?

Most participants asserted that public-private partnerships in the field of online legal education
would be desirable, increasing the variety of courses on offer.

Question 26: Do you see any obstacles in the implementation of MOOCs in India?

The concerns raised by participants may be broadly summarised under three heads as under:

 Inadequate diffusion of computers and the internet in smaller towns and villages.
 Challenge in bringing behavioural change in the lawyers to accept MOOCs is a genuine
form of skill development and knowledge dissemination.
 Standardisation of evaluation of MOOCs.

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Question 27: What are your suggestions to meet those obstacles?

Some pertinent suggestions to overcome obstacles to implementing MOOCs, as offered by the

participants, are listed below.

 District Bar Associations should be provided with adequate funding and infrastructure
to set up cyber labs accessible to members of the Bar.
 Design the course outlines of minimally compulsory MOOCs with widespread
consultation with the legal community.
 Mass awareness programmes should be conducted.

Question 28: Any other suggestions/observations

Some useful suggestions are listed below:

 The MOOC should be multi-lingual as not all lawyers are comfortable with English.
 Law firm-sanctioned courses should get UGC sanction.

Continuing Legal Education for Lawyers in Mainstream Law Universities

Given the explosion in knowledge and the demand for specialized skills for better delivery of legal
services, continuing legal education (CLE) has become a felt need for advocates as well as law
teachers. There is as yet no institutionalized arrangement for CLE though there is increasing demand
for it. The National Law School of India University (NLSIU), Bangalore has a CLE Chair Professorship
organises programmes to help improve the standards of legal education and the legal profession
through individualized training directed towards developing capacities of professionals and
professional institutions. It is organized through residential training programmes of one or two weeks'
duration in different cities in association with law schools and professional bodies of the region. The
focus is on young professionals seeking to mould their career on strong foundations of
professionalism and best practices.

Another object is to produce standardized training materials, trained trainers and infrastructure
facilities so as to help law schools and bar councils to institutionalize CLE on professional lines. A
network of CLE centres across the country will contribute to the advancement of professional
standards and hopefully the quality of legal services available to the common people. Their
programmes for lawyers included: Professional Development Training (PDT) For Young Advocates
and Professional Advancement Training For Specialized Legal Practice.
[Source: https://www.advocatekhoj.com/]

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6. INPUTS FROM VALIDATION WORKSHOP

Indian Institute of Management Kashipur, in collaboration with Uttarakhand Judicial and Legal
Academy, Bhowali, Uttarakhand Judiciary and Legal Association, organised a validation
workshop on 17th December 2019. More than 35 participants attended the workshop.

Dr G K Sharma, the Director of Uttarakhand Judicial and Legal Academy, Bhowali, gave a
brief lecture on the role of Advocates in the Indian Justice Delivery System. He cited
illustrations from the contemporary incidents of Custodial Murder in Hyderabad Rape Incident
and Babri Masjid resolution case to emphasise the legal proceedings and significance of the
legal system in our country. He emphasised the complex galaxy of cases that a lawyer needs to
address throughout their career and how successful could s/he be in this regard.

The failures at maintaining safety and security for females in the country, security and
assurance to the minorities in the nation, etc., were emphasised upon delayed or failed justice.
Emphasising several remedial measures in this regard, he concluded his lecture with the
following assertion:

The advocates should have a mindset that they are a tool of legal research, and they
contribute to the process of law-making. They have to apprise the court on the true
public opinion of a particular law and a[plying same as per the public opinion. The
contribution of advocates in the law-making process and even judicial adjudication is
well known.

The plenary session progressed with an introduction on the ongoing action research project by
Prof K M Baharul Islam, the Project head and Dean, Indian Institute of Management Kashipur.
This was further expounded by Prof Arshad Hussain, the resource person for the session and
an Associate Professor from Kumaon University.

Prof Arshad Hussain, from Kumaon University, Uttarakhand, was the resource person for the
session. He talked about the growth and emergence of the Indian legal profession over a short
period of fewer than 70 years to become the world’s largest and most influential governing
body of the largest democracy in the world, India. The diversity of Indian society is marked
by its caste structure, inequalities and urbanised delivery of services depending upon the market
forces. In most advanced countries, the legal profession has changed its character from
litigation centric to arbitration and consultation based services.
The legal profession, being a private monopoly, is organised like a pyramid in which the top
20% command 80% of the paying work, the middle 30% managing to survive by catering to
the needs of the middle class and government litigation whole, the bottom 50% barely survive
with legal aid cases and cases managed through indescribable and exploitative methods.
Overcrowding flowers in the bottom 50% of the profession fighting for a piece of cake.
Perhaps, the so-called leaders of the profession who have abundant work, unlimited money,
respect and influence who did not bother to look into what was happening to the profession
allowed it to go its way of inefficiency, strikes, boycotts, and private ridicule. This is the
tragedy of the Indian bar today, which otherwise has a noble tradition of being at the forefront
of the freedom struggle and maintaining the rule of law and civil libraries even in difficult
times. The continuing education for legal professionals recognised in most advanced countries

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for quite a long is gaining attraction in India. Legal professionals are increasingly being
exposed to the challenges of a globalised knowledge dissemination system. The rapid changes
taking place in the country's social and economic life also necessitated upgrading the
knowledge base of every professional.
Continuing legal education is a mandatory requirement in countries such as the United States,
Canada, Australia, etc. Such a type of continuing legal education has a tremendous scope in a
country like India. Continuing legal education (CLE) also known as mandatory or minimum
continuing legal education or continuing professional development.
In the US, It consists of professional education for attorneys after their invited admission to the
bar. They maintain their licenses to practice; they are required to complete certain CLE. In
Canada, the attorney must also complete certain required CLE. In Australia, In New South
Wales, Continuing legal education is regulated by the law society of New South wales.
In the Philippines, Continuing legal education in Philippines is regulated by an integrated bar
of Phillippines to ensure that they keep abreast of law and jurisdiction throughout their career,
maintain ethics of the profession, and enhance the standard of law practice.
Amid such drift and mediocrity, the world around, including the legal environment, change
and opportunities for legally trained persons, grew phenomenally, thanks to globalisation,
technological revolution and economic liberalisation. It gives hope to the professionally skilled
that they too could achieve higher ranks. This is where CLE is to be appropriated for
professional development and better delivery of local service.
CLE is also a measure of the accountability of the profession. The days of the general
practitioner have gone, and specialists have entered the scene. The competence of the legal
practitioner is critical for clients, and any dilution in the quality of services rendered is bound
to be counter-productive.
CLE is a major instrument of all professions to ensure minimum competence in the delivery of
service. It enhances professionalism, accountability and public respect for the profession. It is
the sphere of up-gradation of knowledge, particularly in emerging legal practice areas, where
CLE can help the most. Knowledge is not just an awareness of rules; it includes comprehension,
application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. Therefore there is a tremendous vacuum in the
professional training which is waiting to be addressed through CLE.
Finally, professional competence in law is the outcome of a skilled application of knowledge
in which proper skills are decisive to the outcome. These include interviewing and counselling
skills, negotiation, mediation skills, research and writing skills, communication and advocacy
skills, drafting skills, facts gathering and articulation skills, time and stress management skills,
etc., all of which can be acquired through supervised practice guided theoretical learning. CLE
is the best mechanism for acquiring it all the time.
For the first time in the history of legal education, the National Law School of India University
Bangalore has established a chair on continuing Legal Education with support from the
International Bar Association, the Food Foundation and the Menon Institute of Legal Advocacy
training.
A government-funded study by IIT Kharagpur recommended introducing mandatory
continuing legal education for lawyers every year to be eligible to practice in any court. Funded
by the law ministry to suggest ways to arrest the declining ethical standard and professionalism
among advocates, the study had suggested designing CLE where newly inducted lawers at the

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bar must get clear 16 CLE credits every year comprising 15 hours of classroom studies and
workshop training in ethics and professionalism.
For lawyers with more than five years of practice, the minimum CLE credits suggested were
12 every year with an optional self-study of 50 hours, including study in subjective and
procedural law, professional ethics and emerging areas of law. Continuing legal education
ensures that legal and judicial reform contributes to changing the attitude and behaviours of
lawyers and citizens. For this reason, CLE should be an integral part of the legal and judicial
reform strategies that are anchored on the rule of law and reflect the country’s social values.
Continuing Legal Education is the need of the hour, and legal education should be dynamic
rather than static. To keep lawyers abreast of the changing law, there is a need to organise
seminars, conferences, workshops, etc., regularly and make it mandatory for professional
lawyers to attain the same. This can go a long way in enhancing the two standard and quality
of the profession. The participants provided the following suggestions fuelling the further
course of research.

 Some financial assistance may be given to professionals for attending seminars,

workshop or training programs.
 The state bar council or BCI may provide thin financial assistance
 For checking these certificates, the state bar council can be authorised some members
of the concerned state bar council.

5.1. Discussion Points from the Validation Workshop

The participants that the validation workshop was divided into different working groups and
was requested to elect a under group leader who presented the summary of the group’s input at
the end of the session to all the participants. Drawing from the expert inputs from the resource
persons and participants (Judge / Advocate / Researcher) further provided suggestions on the
different points (given to them). Copies of the draft report of the stakeholders' survey were also
circulated among the groups for reference. The questionnaire for discussion can be seen in
Annexure-3 of this report. At the end of the workshop, the following major issues were raised,
which are discussed in the flowing sections.

Question 1: Is Continuing Legal Education most essential for practice as an Advocate

today?

Almost Everyone agreed to the idea and showed a positive response, with 30 out of 35
respondents indicated an extremely urgent introduction of the course while 5 encouraged the
idea. There was no negative response whatsoever.

Question 2: Can we make a certain amount of CLE “Compulsory” to continue as a

practising advocate?

The respondents had a mixed opinion on what level and background should be included in
availing of a compulsory CLE course. Some of them opined that the judiciary and advocates
should be made involve with the CLE compulsorily. A few of them emphasised early
awareness for someone pursuing law and being sure their academic stream should go for CLE
from the early stages. Few of them disagreed on the notion of compulsory introduction since
the local situation of the profession, technology, facilities and background plays an important
role in introducing such practices.

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NO
23%

YES
77%

YES NO

Figure 25: Participants’ Opinion on CLE as a Mandatory Requirement

77.13% of the respondents thought CLE was a compulsory introduction for practising
advocates, whereas 22.8% denied a compulsive attribute to such courses. The reason being
rural locale, lack facilities, technology and other hindrance.

Question 3: Will it be suitable for Advocates to undergo CLE through Online

Programmes? What should be the length (week/month/year) and nature of the
programmes- (Certificate/ Diploma/Degree

While technological and linguistic hindrance leads to some negative responses in availing CLE
through online medium. Everyone almost agreed to a monthly certification course and strictly
refused a diploma or a degree course in this regard. Everyone emphasised the importance of
certification.

YES
27%

NOT SURE
56%

NO
17%

YES NO NOT SURE

Figure 3Online and offline Options in CLE

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Question 4: Who should offer CLE Online Programmes? Universities, Law Departments
in other universities, Private Organisations/NGOs, Foreign Universities?

To the question above, a mixed response was generated. Some voted for a separate section
under the Ministry of Law to help in designing CLE courses. Other options in this regard
include state universities, central universities or national law school; a few opted for global
bodies, but due to the limited technological resources, not many were optimistic about the
option and thought NGOs to be a conducible option designing CLE Online programs.

35 Separate Department
under the Law
30 Law Departments from Ministry,33
25 Central Universities, 22
National Law School,
20 18
15
10 Foreign Universities, 5
Private Organisations,
5 1 NGOs, 1
0
Offer Online Programs

National LawSchools Law Departments from the Central Universities

Private Organisations NGOs
Foreign Universities Separate Department under the Law Ministry

Figure 4 Who should offer CLE online programmes?

Question 5: Should the CLE Online Programmes be free? Or it should be paid as, and a
minimal fee should be charged for conducting online exams and issuing certificates

Some of the respondents thought that there should be free courses owing to the economic
hardships faced by students from underprivileged areas. Adding to the reason, the respondents
cited the significance of free courses lest money should make it a commercial venture. Whereas
many of the respondents thought that a minimal amount for the Maintenance of course material
and certification could be charged since things that come for free are not valued much.

Absolutely
Free
17%

Minimal
Charge
83%
Figure 18: Chargeable/ non-chargeable CLE Courses

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7. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

“Education is the manifestation of perfection already in man.”

Swami Vivekananda

Law is the ultimate instrument of change in our society; it governs and strengthens, regulates
and empowers and is present as the last bleak of hope for the commoners. Its potential remains
unmatched, and it reforms and educates a society. The primary function of law is to protect its
members, provide them with justice and maintain peace and order while considering the
fundamental rights and duties. A democracy depends on the legal system of its country to
function smoothly. The legal system shapes a nation.

The law commission of India defines legal education as a science, which imparts to its student
knowledge of certain principles and provisions of law to enable them to enter the legal
profession. Legal education is thus a platform for the rightful settlement of disputes and
clashes. Hence legal education becomes important for developed, underdeveloped and
developing countries alike. High-quality legal education will yield high-quality legal
practitioners, judges and government law officers. The formal legal education needs to be
appended, with revisions in curriculum and methodologies of law course. Hence, legal
education becomes a crucial subject of evolution; both law and state stand supplementary and
complementary to each other. Legal institutions qualify to the core of all social discipline.
Legal education focuses on developing good lawyers educated in human values and human
rights, besides the law itself.

The changes in development and cultural milieu lead to the framing of new laws. New laws
and policies regarding gender, social, minority, empowerment and several other issues are
framed to synchronise with the social consciousness. As a multicultural, multilingual and
multi-ethnical diverse nation, India serves as a challenging nation when it comes to
introduction, implementation, and awareness of new laws.

Besides the diversity, several factors influence Legal Education in India (Fig 19). Some
challenges and issues surround legal education and policies related to it. There has been a
dramatic unplanned rise in the number of colleges imparting legal education; as of the post-
1970’s record, 81 there are 302 law colleges with over 2,50,000 students on their rolls in the
country. Like the medical profession, legal education is now perceived as a commercial venture
and not a matter of scholarship and service. The involved legal bodies kept increasing the
number of colleges without even a proper infrastructure or other material requirement fulfilled.
As a result, the entrance procedure and admission systems were severely damaged,
accommodating anybody or everybody. These students served as a maximum profit for the
entrepreneurial scheme involved in the process. The profession suffered through all blocks, the

81 Challenges of Legal Education in the 21st century: Mayank Shekhar, Legal Bites, July 6,2017.

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prestige of academia declined, and as a result, faculties and teaching techniques did not match
the standard. The lack of a proper system demotivated students from taking proper exams and
qualifying for an aptitude level entrance.

Government Policy
The Bar Council of India
University Grant Commission (UGC)

National Litigation Policy

Developments in Legal Profession
Developments in the Legal System
Affiliating Universities

The quality of enrollment

Faculty Caliber and Commitment
Availability of proper Infrastructure and
Technology
Changes in other Educational fields
Changes in the Social Pattern and
Societal Conduct

Figure 19: Factors Affecting Legal Education in India

Once the formal legal education system smoothens its pace, the policymakers and people from
the legal fraternity will take into consideration Continuing Legal Education as a necessary goal:

 Continuing Legal Education is important

 A continuing dialogue with the academicians, practitioners, judges, licensing
authorities, and the general public regarding changing socio-cultural perceptibility are
necessary to build awareness among lawyers and advocates.
 A content-focused curriculum should be replaced with an outcome-focused program,
concentrating more on the profession's practical and skill honing aspect.
 Continuing Legal Education should develop competence and help in efficient and
responsible realisation of problems.
 CLE should lead to the overall development of life-long skills like self-reflection,
intellectual and analytical comprehension, and teaching sound professionalism and
professional skills among law practitioners.
 A curriculum that assembles theories, doctrines and pervasive professionalism to
develop knowledge, skills and progressive values should be the design ahead.
 Context-based teaching methods will help a learner grasp more easily the
contemporaneity and hence will assist CLE positively.
 A diploma or certificate course for law teachers can also be implemented to fill in the
skill gaps that a teacher may require overtime.

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Law is an essential medium of a revolution that strengthens our society. The lawyers bear the
burden of the entire society and their problems. Lawyers should always be updated, upgraded
and aware of the changes in and around; continuing legal education is the need of the hour.
This will facilitate healthy growth and add to the prestige of this profession.

Although awareness and participation in MOOCs leave more to be desired, the survey shows
a positive trend in legal professionals. The increased receptivity of alternative means of legal
education ensures that there is a demand for CLE courses. Most participants agreed that
MOOCs would be beneficial to the career interests of legal professionals. Courses offering
certification or credentials are being especially perceived as an effective way of enhancing
one’s employability. As a way forward, widespread promotion of MOOCs and pointing its
benefits over the long term would be advisable.

6.1. Recommendations

a) Incentivising CLE

We have found that mandatory stipulation of any CLE for the continuation of practising license
like other countries is not preferred by the stakeholders in India. It will require some awareness
and advocacy campaign among the stakeholders before such provisions are made in the
Advocates Act of 1961 and implemented by all concerned in right earnest. However, because
the need and value of CLE are well recognised, and as such, an alternative way to popularise
the CLE will be to provide non-monetary incentives to the advocates who complete CLE
programmes. It will lead to the voluntary adoption of CLE by advocates in India. A few
suggested ways of incentivising CLE may be as follows:

 Public recognition or Award Competitions: Regular legal knowledge and skill-based

competitions can be arranged at district, state and national levels by a collaboration between
Bar Associations, Bar Council of India and Law colleges/universities. Champions may be
identified in specific areas of specialisations like environment laws, technology laws,
gender laws, etc., which will nudge the participants to go for the additional knowledge-
based CLE available online or in local institutions. The praise or recognition is a non-
financial incentive that satisfies a lawyer's public brand among the public and potential
clients alike. Sometimes such recognition becomes more effective to put their extra effort
to upgrade their knowledge base on an emerging area of law than any other incentive. If
they see the recognition as a reputation building exercise, especially the young or mid-level
experience ones, the advocates will see the value of CLE in the long run.

 Professional Certification: In collaboration with Law colleges/universities, Bar

Associations, Legal Publishers, Legal web-portals etc., a set of special professional
certification programmes can be launched for the advocates. In an era of specialisation,
even in the legal profession, litigants often look for the expertise of an advocate to fight
their cases. At present, an advocate's word of mouth reputation in a Bar is what mostly
drives new clients to the lawyers. The new lawyers are obviously at a disadvantage here
before they spent years in the corridors of courts to build that public reputation. An
alternative way to launch a set of CLE Certificates Programmes in law schools is to offer
evening or open or distance courses (including MOOC). Several courses are already
available in some universities (See box on NLSIU Bangalore). A handbook has been

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developed as a part of this project that lists short term and long term programmes available
online. This handbook can be distributed among the Bar members to sensitise them about
the opportunities available to them to get CLE certifications at their own pace.

b) Promotion of CLE among corporate law professionals

 Professional Development Programmes: Professional development programmes can

be recommended to reputed corporate law firms in India. They can work with national
law universities and other reputed law schools to develop such programmes. These can
provide on-site or remote CLE programs for practitioners, fresh law graduates, in-
house counsels from industry, other attorneys, and para-legal professionals. A set of
customized programmes can be developed on a pilot basis to illustrate a simple, cost-
effective, and efficient way for lawyers to obtain valuable CLE in legal ethics, technical
competency, and professionalism. It will also provide an opportunity for industry-
academia interaction for the formal legal education sector.

 Award Competitions among Law Firms: Through collaboration between laws firms,
universities and Bar association, regular inter-firm completions can be organised where
law firms will gain public visibility, especially the younger ones, and in the process,
the emerging legal subject-specialisations will also become popular among the
advocates working in corporate law sectors that will again drive them towards CLE
avenues.

 Rankings: There examples of different competitions like Forbes India Legal Powerlist
[see https://www.forbesindia.com/legalpowerlist2020] that focuses on reflecting those
lawyers in the profession who has recognised strengths in business practices. Leading
corporate lawyers (individuals and firms) are expected to demonstrate strong
foundations in key commercial-legal issues. Such competitions “aims to identify and
felicitate young lawyers who exemplify distinction, quality service delivery, and those
who demonstrate superior leadership, reputation, influence, stature and profile as Indian
lawyers.” More such competitions will drive the practising advocates to gain some
additional knowledge base in the legal profession to compete in such lists. It will again
directly drive demand for suitable CLE programmes in the country.

 Unlike the coverage provided in some national guides, this Global-Wide section
considers firms' capabilities across both transactional and contentious sides of the
market, including; cartel and other government investigations, antitrust litigation, M &
M&A-related competition work, advice, and competition strategies for businesses.

c) Recognising Champions of CLE: There are several unsung heroes in our law colleges,
faculties, departments, law universities and bar associations who strongly support,
propagate and conduct CLE programmes at different levels. If these champions are
identified, supported and “Awarded” by concerned authorities (Ministry, Bar Council,
Courts etc.) through suitable schemes, then the CLE awareness will gain further momentum
in the county. Three categories of champions of CLE can be considered:

The Institutional Champion: This will be awarded to an institution, a Bar association or

a group of institutions for very significant achievements or contributions to the CLE. This

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relates particularly to institutional leadership and innovation through mainstream CLE

Courses developments, contributing to the continuing enhancement of open, flexible CLE
across the country.

The Individual Champion: This can be an award for significant contributions to the field
of CLE in any law school. The idea will be to focus on rewarding innovation and progress
in the CLE field and the very significant efforts of an individual in pursuing the legal
community to adopt CLE. The Individual Champion may also be individuals who have
shown great leadership and excellence in the CLE work within an educational institution
and fostering collaboration with practising advocates.

Lifelong Contribution to CLE: In the long run, individual and law schools can be
recognised for significant lifelong contributions to the promotion of CLE. These lifelong
achievements should represent significant contributions to the legal community, legal
education system, and the field of CLE itself.

d) The flexibility of the CLE

a) In tandem with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, a multiple entry/exit system
(MEES) in legal education can be introduced. Law schools in the country can be invited
to develop such customised LLM or even Doctoral programmes that will allow
advocates to earn higher education in law while continuing to practice. Such
programmes enable them to choose from the full range of modules (certificate courses),
incrementally earn credits and finally move towards a higher degree.

An advocate-student can choose particular modules to acquire a certificate, diploma, or

LLM degree in such a scheme. Top laws schools worldwide offer similar courses as
CLE for advocate (See Box on Cardiff University under Section 2.1.1.). Such CLE
programmes leading to LLM will allow an advocate to choose from several modules,
covering a wide range of topics already being offered in a law school/university. One
can customise their LLM according to their professional interests and career goals and
gain a diverse legal education or focus on a specific area of law.

b) University Grants Commission (UGC) has already allowed students to gain 20% credits
in graduate courses from the courses offered under SWAYAM programmes online.82
Now, it is proposed to be increased to 40%. UGC has already issued the UGC (Credit
Framework for online learning courses through SWAYAM) Regulation 2016 advising
the Universities to identify courses where credits can be transferred to the student's
academic record for courses done on SWAYAM. AICTE has also put out a gazette
notification in 2016 and subsequently adopted these courses for credit transfer.
However, in the latest (Jan 2021) list, only 3 (three) Legal courses are offered in
SWAYM out of 76 courses. There are only 6 (six) SAWYAM Coordinators for law
schools out of 228 in the list of law institutes (NLU Patna, ILI, NLU Delhi, NLU

82 Study Webs of Active-Learning for Young Aspiring Minds (SWAYAM) is a programme initiated by
Government of India and designed to achieve the three cardinal principles of Education Policy viz.,
access, equity and quality. The objective of this effort is to take the best teaching learning resources
to all, including the most disadvantaged. SWAYAM seeks to bridge the digital divide for students who
have hitherto remained untouched by the digital revolution and have not been able to join the
mainstream of the knowledge economy.

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Odisha, NLU Jodhpur, and NLU Punjab]. A circular issued in February 2021 by UGC
doesn't mention “Law” subjects. In this arena, the law schools can work more
intensively with UGC to offer more law courses that the advocates can access as CLE
programmes.

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8. An Action Plan: The Way Forward

One time perpetual registration (licensing) system in India has somewhat disincentivised CLE
among advocates (except the monetized and competitive corporate law sector). Whereas it is
most advanced nations that licensed legal professionals must continue their legal education
throughout their careers to remain eligible to practice law. Policy frameworks like Mandatory
Continuing Legal Education (MCLE) in such countries play a critical role in defining and
determining compliance with the minimum education requirements for lawyers. Of course,
many flexibilities are often built into the scheme of things to facilitate CLE, such as:

 Lawyers do not have to attend live or real-time classrooms to earn CLE credits.
They may earn CLE credits by attending online courses, viewing or listening to
recorded events such as webinars, MP3s, or DVDs.
 Lawyers can now earn free and low-cost CLEs related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
 Lawyers who cannot afford to attend full-time classes, webinars, or online CLE
courses can access free and low-cost CLEs offered by many institutions.
 Lawyers can even CLE credits by providing pro bono services.

Given the above and based on the findings of this study, we propose the following action plan
as a way forward:

a) A national-level consultation may be organised or facilitated by the Ministry of law and

Justice, Government of India, to discuss how ‘non-mandatory CLE can be popularised
in the country through the active collaboration of all the stakeholders.

b) The absence of a CLE / Lifelong Learning environment harms the poor and rural
communities. Mishandling of cases by lawyers, undue delay tactics adopted by many
in closing a case not only harm the poorest litigants in small towns but also over-
burdens the lower judiciary with pendency cases. CLE can focus on professional
practices and increase the efficiency of practising lawyers. Bar Associations need to be
sensitised on this issue and adopt various non-monetary incentive schemes suggested
in the previous section of this report. To launch and monitor such a drive, a national
multi-stakeholder committee – National Committee on Continuing Legal Education
- can be set up by the ministry where professional bodies, corporate representatives and
law schools can initiate a nationwide CLE advocacy campaign.

c) As ‘experience on the job’ does not work seamlessly in the legal profession due to
unequal opportunities available to a new lawyer, CLE can be used to introduce the fast-
changing technological environment like computer-assisted case management, drafting
and the legal reforms that are envisaged under emerging applications like Artificial
Intelligence (AI) and 5G systems.

d) CLE needs a kick start – a national mission (given the challenges of the legal practice
in India) – needs at least five years to place CLE in the professional environment. The
suggested national-level committee can be entrusted with this task by giving it financial
support and a time-bound list of deliverables. Ministry can create this national
committee as a platform, identify champions, bring stakeholders together to show the
win-win in CLE for all parties.

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e) The piecemeal approach generally does more harm than good regarding
standardisation, benchmarking, certifications, and branding. The same is true about any
CLE drive also. Regulatory authorities like BCI and UGC should partner in this mission
from the very beginning to ensure buy-in from the stakeholders and develop a realistic
standard and model implementation framework for CLE.

……………………..

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ANNEXURES

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ANNEXURE 1

Uttarakhand Judicial and Legal Academy, Bhowali, Distt.- Nainital

List of Participants
WORKSHOP-CUM-VALIDATION SEMINAR ON
GLOBAL PRACTICES IN CONTINUING LEGAL EDUCATION:
EMERGING PLATFORMS FOR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
AT UJALA ON 17.12.2019 (Tuesday)

List of Participants

Sr. No. Name of Judicial Officer Designation

1. Dr G.K. Sharma Director, Uttarakhand Judicial and Legal
Academy, Bhowali, Distt. Nainital
2. Shri Ambika Pant Additional Director, Uttarakhand Judicial and
Legal Academy, Bhowali, Distt. Nainital
3. Shri Ashutosh Kumar Mishra Additional Director, Uttarakhand Judicial and
Legal Academy, Bhowali, Distt. Nainital
4. Ms Ritika Semwal Joint Director, Uttarakhand Judicial and
Legal Academy, Bhowali, Distt. Nainital
5. Shri Ashwini Gaur 8th Additional District & Sessions Judge,
Dehradun
6. Shri Vikram 2nd Additional District & Sessions Judge,
Roorkee, District Haridwar
7. Ms Anjali Noliyal 5th Additional District & Sessions Judge,
Haridwar
8. Shri Mohd. Yusuf Officer on Special Duty (OSD)/Deputy
Secretary, Uttarakhand State Legal Services
Authority, Nainital
9. Shri Imran Mohd. Khan Member Secretary, District Legal Services
Authority, Nainital
10. Shri Bhupendra Singh Shah Civil Judge (Jr. Div.),
Narendra Nagar, Tehri Garhwal
11. Ms Minakshi Dubey Civil Judge (Jr. Div.),
Kashipur, Distt.-Udham Singh Nagar
12. Ms Bhawna Pandey Judicial Magistrate-I,
Haldwani, Distt. Nainital
13. Shri Vivek Singh Rana Civil Judge (Jr. Div.),
Kotdwar, Distt.-Pauri Garhwal
14. Ms Shikha Bhandari Judicial Magistrate,
Kotdwar, Distt- Pauri Garhwal
15. Shri Rizwan Ansari Civil Judge (Jr. Div.),
Chakrata, Distt. Dehradun
16. Ms Kanchan Chaudhary Judicial Magistrate-I,
Hardwar
17. Ms Shalini Dadar Judicial Magistrate-II,
Udham Singh Nagar

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18. Ms.Nisha Devi Civil Judge (Jr. Div.),

Doiwala, Distt. Dehradun
19. Ms Shivani Nahar Civil Judge (Jr. Div.),
Sitarganj, Distt. U. S. Nagar
20. Shri Rohit Joshi Civil Judge (Jr. Div.),
Joshimath, Distt- Chamoli
21. Shri Shambhu Nath Singh Judicial Magistrate-II,
Athwal Hardwar
22. Shri Laval Kumar Verma Civil Judge (Jr. Div.),
Ukimath, Distt.- Rudraprayag
23. Shri Kuldeep Narayan Civil Judge (Jr. Div.),
Lansdowne, Distt.- Pauri Garhwal
24. Shri Anil Kumar Kori Civil Judge (Jr. Div.),
Gangolihat, Distt.- Pithoragarh
25. Shri Sohan Tiwari Advocate, Nainital

26. Shri Rajendra Lohani Advocate, Nainital

27. Shri Girish Chandra Joshi Advocate, Nainital

28. Shri Naveen Chandra Advocate, Nainital

29. Shri Harendra Singh Bora Advocate, Nainital

30. Shri G.B. Kapri Administrative Officer, Uttarakhand Judicial

and Legal Academy, Bhowali, Distt. Nainital
31. Shri Kamlesh Kumar Suyal Accountant, Uttarakhand Judicial and Legal
Academy, Bhowali, Distt. Nainital
32. Shri Gaurav Tewari Research Officer, Uttarakhand Judicial and
Legal Academy, Bhowali, Distt. Nainital
33. Shri Harish Bora Assistant Accountant, Uttarakhand Judicial
and Legal Academy, Bhowali, Distt. Nainital
34. Shri Ravindra Kumar Shah Junior Assistant, Uttarakhand Judicial and
Legal Academy, Bhowali, Distt. Nainital
35. Shri Sandeep Singh Rawat Junior Assistant, Uttarakhand Judicial and
Legal Academy, Bhowali, Distt. Nainital
36. Shri Nandan Singh Bohra Junior Assistant, Uttarakhand Judicial and
Legal Academy, Bhowali, Distt. Nainital
37. Shri Surendra Singh System Officer, Uttarakhand Judicial and
Legal Academy, Bhowali, Distt. Nainital

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ANNEXURE 2:

QUESTIONNAIRE
(CHAPTER 4: SURVEY AND ANALYSIS, DELHI NCR)

Basic Information

1. Name

2. Affiliation

3. Year of Joining the Bench/Bar/Teaching/Adv Enrolment Number

4. Address

5. Phone Number

6. Email

Do you permit to use your personal information?

I. Yes
II. No

Relevance of MOOC

7. Have you heard about the concept of lifelong professional development

online courses called Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs)?

8. Are you familiar with self-learning MOOC courses such as Coursera,

Udacity, EdX, and FutureLearn?

9. Do you know that the specialised MOOC programs are being offered under
the SWYAM initiative by the central universities and other institutions in
India since 2014?

10. If yes, do you think that these digital courses based on new educational
technology might help improve your professional competence?

11. Given your busy professional schedule, do you think that MOOC is the ideal
open learning solution to increase your competency?

12. Have you ever signed up for MOOC after completing your education?

13. If yes, please provide the details.

14. Do you think that your participation improved your performance in the
profession? How?

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15. If yes, do you think that these courses sharpened your skills only or subject
knowledge also?

16. Do you think that the introduction of MOOC would be a good step for law
professionals in India?

17. If yes, should it be compulsory, or minimally compulsory or optional? Why?

18. If no, what are your reasons for not supporting any of these alternatives or
MOOC as a whole?

19. For which class of lawyers/justice actors, do you think that MOOCs should be
compulsory, or minimally compulsory?

Methods of imparting MOOCs

20. What should be the duration of MOOC programs for law professionals?
I. 1 year
II. 2 year
III. 3 year

21. Which substantive areas/skills are most required?

22. Should MOOC programs be assessed?

23. Should MOOC programs be imparted free of charge or not? Why?

24. Do we need any new MOOC providers or the prestigious private or

public institutions are sufficient for imparting MOOCs?

Issues and Suggestions

23. Do you see any obstacles in the implementation of MOOC in India?

24. What are your suggestions to meet those obstacles?

25. Any other suggestions/observations.

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ANNEXURE 3

QUESTIONNAIRE FOR VALIDATION WORKSHOP

(CHAPTER 7: ANALYSIS AND SURVEY, UJALA VALIDATION WORKSHOP)

VALIDATION WORKSHOP
Global Practices in Continuing Legal Education:
Emerging Platform for Professional Development of Advocates
17 December 2019: Uttarakhand Judicial and Legal Academy, Bhowali, Nainital

GUIDELINES FOR THE GROUPS:

1. Select a Group Leader / Moderator who will also present the summary of the Group’s
input at the end of the session to all the participants.
2. In the light of the speeches of the resource persons, and in your own experience as a
Judge / Advocate / Researcher, please provide suggestions on the points given below.
You can also use ref to the feedback received during the survey (report copy circulated).
3. Please be brief and to the point in giving your opinion. After all the Group must respond
to

DISCUSSION POINTS:

QS. 1: Is continuing legal education (CLE) “most essential” for practice as an Advocate today?

QS 2: Can we make a certain amount of CLE as “Compulsory” to continue as a practising

advocate?

QS 3: Will it be suitable for Advocates to undergo CLE through Online Programmes? What
should be the length (week/month/year) and the nature of the programmes – Certificate /
Diploma / Degree?

QS 4: Who should offer CLE Online Programmes? National Law Universities, Law
Departments in other universities, Private Organisations/NGO, Foreign Universities?

QS 5: Should the CLE Online Programmes be free? Or it should be paid as and a minimal fee
should be charged for conducting online exams and issuing certificates.

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ANNEXURE 4

Glimpses from the Validation Workshop at Uttarakhand Judicial and Legal Academy
(17th December 2019)

Image 1: Participants at the Validation Workshop- UJALA, 17th December 2019

Image 2 Validation Workshop – Expert session in Progress

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Image 3 Right to Left: Dr G K Sharma, Director, UJALA addressing the participants

Image 4 Participants delivering their ideas regarding MOOC, its implementation and needs.

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ANEXURE 5
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ONLINE COURCES FOR LAW SUBJECT

SHORT TERM COURCES (NATIONAL) ..................................................................................................... 1
Indian Academy of Law and Management ......................................................................................... 1
National Law University, Delhi .......................................................................................................... 1
Tezpur University ............................................................................................................................... 1
Indira Gandhi National Open University ............................................................................................ 2
IIT Madras .......................................................................................................................................... 2
Indian Academy of Law and Management ......................................................................................... 3
Indian Law Institute ............................................................................................................................ 3
Indian Academy of Law and Management ......................................................................................... 4
Indian Law Institute ............................................................................................................................ 4
Indian Academy of Law and Management ......................................................................................... 5
Indian Academy of Law and Management ......................................................................................... 5
English and Foreign Languages University, Hyderabad..................................................................... 6
Law Skills ........................................................................................................................................... 6
MyLaw Learnning Resource Pvt Ltd .................................................................................................. 7
MyLaw Learning Resource Pvt Ltd .................................................................................................... 7
MyLaw Learning Resource Pvt Ltd .................................................................................................... 8
MyLaw Learning Resource Pvt Ltd .................................................................................................... 8
MyLaw Learning Resource Pvt Ltd .................................................................................................... 8
MyLaw Learning Resource Pvt Ltd .................................................................................................... 9
MyLaw Learning Resource Pvt Ltd .................................................................................................... 9
MyLaw Learning Resource Pvt Ltd .................................................................................................... 9
MyLaw Learning Resource Pvt Ltd .................................................................................................. 10
MyLaw Learning Resource Pvt Ltd .................................................................................................. 10
MyLaw Learning Resource Pvt Ltd .................................................................................................. 10
MyLaw Learning Resource Pvt Ltd .................................................................................................. 11
MyLaw Learning Resource Pvt Ltd .................................................................................................. 11
MyLaw Learning Resource Pvt Ltd .................................................................................................. 11
MyLaw Learning Resource Pvt Ltd .................................................................................................. 12
MyLaw Learning Resource Pvt Ltd .................................................................................................. 12
MyLaw Learning Resource Pvt Ltd .................................................................................................. 12
The West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences ............................................................ 13
The West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences ............................................................ 13
The West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences ............................................................ 14
LawSikho .......................................................................................................................................... 14

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National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) ................................................................................... 15

LawSkills .......................................................................................................................................... 15
LawSkills .......................................................................................................................................... 16
LawSkills .......................................................................................................................................... 17
LawSkills .......................................................................................................................................... 18
Law Skills ......................................................................................................................................... 18
Law Skills ......................................................................................................................................... 19
LawSkills .......................................................................................................................................... 19
LawSkills .......................................................................................................................................... 20
Long Term Courses (International) ...................................................................................................... 21
The University of Law, Hong Kong .................................................................................................... 21
The University of Law , UK ............................................................................................................. 21
BPP University, UK .......................................................................................................................... 22
Abraham Lincoln University ............................................................................................................ 22
University of Law, UK ..................................................................................................................... 23
Arden University, UK ....................................................................................................................... 23
University of Essex Online ............................................................................................................... 24
Loyola Law School ........................................................................................................................... 25
Universitat de Lleida, Spain .............................................................................................................. 25
American University Washington College of Law ........................................................................... 26
Seneca College of Applied Arts and Technology (Seneca) - Canada ............................................... 26
MacEwan University - Canada ......................................................................................................... 26
Queen Mary University of London ................................................................................................... 27
International Career Institute (ICI) - UK .......................................................................................... 27
International Career Institute (ICI) - USA ........................................................................................ 27
International Career Institute (ICI) - UK .......................................................................................... 28
International Career Institute (ICI) - UK .......................................................................................... 28
Doane University .............................................................................................................................. 29
International Career Institute (ICI) - UK .......................................................................................... 29
Utica College .................................................................................................................................... 29
South Dakota State University .......................................................................................................... 30
National and Kapodistrian University of Athens studies .................................................................. 30
Anglia Ruskin University, UK .......................................................................................................... 31

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SHORT TERM COURCES (NATIONAL)

Institute/University Indian Academy of Law and Management
Course Corporate Contracts
Duration 3 Months
Course Fee 7500
Diploma/certificate Certificate
Eligibility Criteria NA
Course Link https://www.ialm.academy/
The corporate sector has seen an exceptional growth in the last few decades
resulting in an increase in vast opportunities for the Corporate Law
Professionals not only in India but across the Globe. Again with an increase
in the demand of Corporate Professionals, there’s a considerable increase
in the demand as well as scope of Corporate Law Courses. This is an online
Course Details course with an objective to guide young lawyers, law students, corporate,
company sectaries, paralegals on the methods of drafting contracts for
Companies, individuals and other legal entities. This will enable students
to quickly draft all kinds of Contracts. The art of drafting has been
explained in a simple manner to avoid huge legal jargon and to enable
people to draft effective and clear contracts.

Institute/University National Law University, Delhi

Course Corporate Law
Duration 15 Weeks
Course Fee Free
Diploma/certificate Certificate
Eligibility Criteria Postgraduate
Course Link https://swayam.gov.in/nd2_cec20_hs23/preview

India has witnessed tremendous growth in the corporate sector in the last
few decades. In view of this, it becomes important for students of law and
commerce to understand the legal dynamics of the corporate sector. The
course covers all important recent developments in this area. The course of
Course Details Corporate Law has been specifically designed to provide not only an
overview but also an in-depth knowledge about incorporation, raising
capital by companies, borrowings and investments by companies, foreign
direct investment in Indian companies, corporate restructuring, corporate
insolvency and other related important issues.

Institute/University Tezpur University

Course Direct Tax - Laws and Practice
Duration 15 Weeks
Course Fee Free

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Diploma/certificate Certificate
Eligibility Criteria Postgraduate
Course Link https://swayam.gov.in/nd2_cec20_hs23/preview
Course Details No government can run a country without revenue. One of the major
sources of revenue is taxation. Taxes can be classified as Direct and
Indirect Tax. Direct taxes encompass those taxes where impact and
incidence falls on the same person. Income Tax Act, 1961 is the
prime legislation in the area of direct taxes in India. It is very
interesting to know various facets of this Act. The Act makes ample
scope for tax planning and tax management by utilizing various
provisions which are enshrined therein. A tax payer can reduce her
tax liability by taking advantage of various incentives that are
provided in the Act. It creates a win-win situation. This PG Level 4
credit course is inter-disciplinary in nature and any graduate who
wishes to learn about Indian income tax system, can enrol.

Institute/University Indira Gandhi National Open University

Course Food laws and standards
Duration 16 Weeks
Course Fee Free
Diploma/certificate Certificate
Eligibility Criteria Diploma
Course Link https://swayam.gov.in/nd2_cec20_hs23/preview
Course Details
The course has been designed to acquaint with the national and
international food laws. The course is meant for all the stakeholders
of the food chain i.e. producer, procurer, transporter, processor,
distributor, retailer, exporter/importer and regulator. The country
took a revolution in Food Safety and Quality with the new scientific
based food laws and standards designated as Food Safety and
Standard Act 2006 followed by its Rules and Regulations, 2011. The
continuous improvement in enforcement and their harmonization
with Codex standards have laid the foundations and templates for
safe and hygienic food.
The course has four major components: Indian Food Regulatory
Regime; Global Scenario; Export and Import Laws and Regulations
and Other Laws and Standards Related to Foods.
The Indian Food Regulatory Regime covers the salient features of
New Act Food safety and Standard Act, 2006 and its Regulations,
2011. The Global Scenario deals with international standards setting
bodies like Codex Alimentarius Commission and WTO implications.
The salient features related to Export and Import Laws and
regulations; BIS and AGMARK are also covered.

Institute/University IIT Madras

Course Patent Law for Engineers and Scientists
Duration 12 Weeks

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Course Fee Free

Diploma/certificate Certificate
Eligibility Criteria Undergraduate/Postgraduate
Course Link https://swayam.gov.in/nd1_noc20_hs26/preview
Course Details The course shall give an in-depth understanding of patent law to
engineers and scientists. This course will help person with a science
background to understand the fundamentals of patent law, know the
requirements of patentability, learn how to read and interpret patent
specifications, analyze patent office procedures and court cases and
develop the basic understanding for drafting a patent specification.
This course will cover the syllabus of Paper 1 of the Patent Agent
Examination conducted by the Intellectual Property Office,
Government of India.

Institute/University Indian Academy of Law and Management

Course Cyber laws
Duration 2 Months
Course Fee 7500
Diploma/certificate Certificate
Eligibility Criteria NA
Course Link https://www.ialm.academy/
Course Details This course will make you familiar with the meaning of Cyber Crime
and the legislation in India dealing with offences relating with the
abuse of computers and other electronic gadgets. The Cyber Law
Certification course also deals with the Information Technology Act
2000, the I.T. Amendment Act 2008, Computer & Web Technology,
Investigation of Cyber Crimes, E-Commerce and Net-Neutrality.

Institute/University Indian Law Institute

Course Intellectual Property Rights
Duration 3 Months
Course Fee 7500
Diploma/certificate Certificate
Eligibility Criteria N/A
Course Link http://ili.ac.in/e-learnIPR.htm
Course Details Intellectual Property Law is a law specialisation wherein innovative
as well as marketable work of individuals is protected. Intellectual
property law is that field of law which deals with legal rights related
to creative work and inventions. Laws related to Intellectual Property
control who can use creations such as new products, artistic works as
well as designs. The reason why intellectual property laws were
formulated was to allow individuals who create/ invent things to
genuinely profit from their creation/ work.
Some popular areas where Intellectual Property Laws are applicable are
Copyright, Patents, and Trademarks, Industrial Design Rights, Plant
Variety Rights, Trade Dress, Trade Secrets and the likes.

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Institute/University Indian Academy of Law and Management

Course Labour Laws and Employment Compliance
Duration 3 Months
Course Fee 10000
Diploma/certificate Certificate
Eligibility Criteria NA
Course Link https://www.ialm.academy/
Course Details Labour Laws constitute an essential component of Labour Policy in
India aimed at imparting certain basic rights to workers as enshrined
in our constitution. Labour laws give structure to the workplace,
define what employees and employers are responsible for and, in
some cases, outline regulations to give both parties necessary
direction for resolving workplace conflict.

This Online practical guide to labour laws will give you details of
important labour laws and its compliance strategies for organizations
in India. These Labour Law Courses in India is very useful for
Industrial Relations Professionals, Employment Lawyers and
Practitioners, Labour Union Leaders, Law Students, Law Graduates,
Lawyers, HR managers and managers, or anyone who wants to do
establish and run business in India.

Institute/University Indian Law Institute

Course Cyber Law
Duration 3 Months
Course Fee 7500
Diploma/certificate Certificate
Eligibility Criteria N/A
Course Link http://ili.ac.in/e-learnCL.htm
Course Details The development of information technology has improved the
communication, has facilitated the growth of trade and commerce
and thus, has made the over all life comfortable. The technology has
fastened the online banking and other commercial transactions. It
has now become easy to do cash-less transaction with the help of
plastic money. The technology has improved the quality of
governance and general administration by empowering people and
bringing in speed, transparency and accountability. However,
bigger the power, bigger is the responsibility. The people using the
technology have to the aware of the banes of technology. The same
technology, which has so many advantages, has brought with it
certain disadvantages. It has facilitated the online frauds and other
criminal activities such as defamation, theft, obscenity,
pornography, phishing and violence etc. The biggest advantage for
the offender committing online crimes is that they can remain
anonymous. This possibility to remain anonymous has made the
investigation into these activities difficult. After investigation, the
courts also face the problems concerning conflict of law relating to
jurisdiction and application of appropriate law. Given these

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difficulties of the legal regime, it becomes the responsibility of the

people to be aware of the dis-advantages of the technology so as to
wane away cheating and other mis-happenings. People should be
equipped to protect their rights in online transactions. They should
be able to differentiate between the relevant and non-relevant
information in this era of information flooded society. Development
of Cyber law is a recent phenomenon. It is still in a nascent stage
and continuously evolving every passing day. Even the most
learned legal luminaries find it difficult to solve the legal problems
posed by technology. The Online Certificate Course offered by the
institute, intends to spread awareness among the general public
about the cyber law, it is specifically beneficial to the lawyer
community and the judges in the subordinate judiciary, who face
cases on the daily basis.

Institute/University Indian Academy of Law and Management

Course International Environmental Law and Policy
Duration 2 Months
Course Fee 5500
Diploma/certificate Certificate
Eligibility Criteria NA
Course Link https://www.ialm.academy/
Course Details This Course gives you an insight into various laws related to the
Environment especially the Environment Protection Act, 1986.
Environment Protection Act, 1986 is an Act of the Parliament of
India enacted under Article 253 of the Constitution in the wake of
the Bhopal Tragedy. Environmental laws address the effects of
human activities on the environment

Institute/University Indian Academy of Law and Management

Course Taxation Laws
Duration 2-3 Months
Course Fee 7500
Diploma/certificate Certificate
Eligibility Criteria NA
Course Link https://www.ialm.academy/
Course Details Taxation is one of the important field of study. It covers the rules,
policies and laws that oversee the tax process. It involves charges
on estates, transactions, property, income, licenses and more by the
government. Taxation also includes duties on imports from foreign
countries and all compulsory levies imposed by the government
upon individuals for benefit of the state. In India the intricate body
of tax law covers payment of taxes to Central Government, state
governments and some minor taxes are also levied by the local
authorities such as the Municipality either directly or indirectly. An
important restriction on this power is Article 265 of the Constitution

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which states that "No tax shall be levied or collected except by the
authority of law." Therefore, each tax levied or collected has to be
backed by an accompanying law, passed either by the Parliament or
the State Legislature.
The purpose of this course is to familiarize the students to the basic
modalities of tax laws and procedures. Besides, the focus of this
course will revolve around Direct Tax (Income Tax). As the name
suggests, Direct Taxes are taxes that are directly paid to the
government by the taxpayer. It is a tax applied on individuals and
organizations directly by the government.

Institute/University English and Foreign Languages University, Hyderabad

Human Rights, International Law and International Humanitarian
Course Law
Duration 8 Weeks
Course Fee Free
Diploma/certificate Certificate
Eligibility Criteria NA
Course Link https://swayam.gov.in/nd2_cec19_lw01/preview
Course Details The Course is designed to give a complete understanding of the
concept of human rights, international law and international
humanitarian law. It helps the student to learn different
characteristics of human rights and the landmark developments in
the area of human rights. The course focuses on the origin and
development of International Law, and makes the students
appreciate the nature and the principles of International Law as a
true law. Further, the course deals with the concept, purpose and
basic rules of International Humanitarian Law, and studies
contemporary position of Humanitarian Law, Refugee Law and
Human Rights.

Institute/University Law Skills

Course Understanding Corporate Crimes and Economic Scams in India
Duration 3 Months
Course Fee 2500
Diploma/certificate Certificate
Eligibility Criteria NA
Course Link https://www.lawskills.in/
Course Details Corporate Crime has been defined to mean a crime that is
committed by a corporation or business entity or an individual
acting on behalf of the company. It is also called as an
Organizational Crime, a type of White Collar Crime, the
commission of which leads to the benefit of the corporation. Under
this course, the concept of Corporate Crimes has been explained in
detail covering the meaning, definition and scope.

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The provision of Corporate Liability with regards to earlier and

subsequent trend has been discussed. There have been some of the
biggest and most talked about Corruption Scams in India. While
these scams are being exposed in the country frequently, the course
covers the top ten economic scams in India which shook the entire
economy of the nation.
The course elaborately discusses the Criminal Justice System in
India with reference to Economic Offences being committed in the
country Also, the process and procedure of filing complaint for an
Economic Offence has been widely comprehended. Lastly, the
course provides us with an insight into the measures of countering
frauds i.e., through Business Ethics and Compliance Programmes in
order to mitigate the risk of Economic Scams.

Institute/University MyLaw Learnning Resource Pvt Ltd

Course Media Laws and Regulations
Duration 10 Hours (min)
Course Fee 2000
Diploma/certificate Certificate
Eligibility Criteria Practicing Lawyer and Senior Law Students
Course Link https://mylaw.net/
Course Details Benefit from the conceptual and practical learning necessary to
navigate media laws. The media industry is very broad and contains
within it publishing, newspapers, television, radio, film, and the
Internet. Understand the laws and regulations that place limits on
communication in the media, protect intellectual property, and
regulate media infrastructure.

Institute/University MyLaw Learning Resource Pvt Ltd

Course A Lawyer's Role in Chambers
Duration 10 Hours (min)
Course Fee 2000
Diploma/certificate Certificate
Eligibility Criteria Practicing Lawyer and Senior Law Students
Course Link https://mylaw.net/
Course Details Benefit from the skills of real-time practice in chambers. This
course is designed for aspiring litigators and junior advocates. A
majority of your time will be spent working in chambers and this
course helps you learn the essential skills and knowledge that you
will have to pick up immediately upon commencing practice,
including how to read and present cases (judgments), how to
communicate with clients and colleagues, the legal requirements
of pleadings in civil and criminal proceedings, how to present
factual and legal arguments, and much more

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Institute/University MyLaw Learning Resource Pvt Ltd

Course Legal Writing
Duration 10 Hours (min)
Course Fee 2000
Diploma/certificate Certificate
Eligibility Criteria Practicing Lawyer and Senior Law Students
Course Link https://mylaw.net/
Course Details Acquire necessary legal writing skills in order to apply and
present the law you have learnt to different scenarios. Take this
course to develop these skills and to learn the essential techniques
that will help you tackle any legal writing task in your academic
and professional life

Institute/University MyLaw Learning Resource Pvt Ltd

Course Legal Research
Duration 10 Hours (min)
Course Fee 2000
Diploma/certificate Certificate
Eligibility Criteria Practicing Lawyer and Senior Law Students
Course Link https://mylaw.net/
Course Details Acquire the ability to carry out quick, comprehensive, and
focused research within deadlines. Legal research is an invaluable
skill for law students and legal practitioners. With this course, you
will learn techniques that will help you confidently carry out
research in any area of the law.

Institute/University MyLaw Learning Resource Pvt Ltd

Course Advance Legal Communication
Duration 10 Hours (min)
Course Fee 2000
Diploma/certificate Certificate
Eligibility Criteria Practicing Lawyer and Senior Law Students
Course Link https://mylaw.net/
Course Details Acquire the ability to communicate effectively as a lawyer. This
course will help you develop your drafting and oral
communication skills in order to get your point across in the best
and most persuasive manner. It will teach you techniques that will
help you improve your writing, speaking, presentation, and
negotiation skills and also show you ways to shine in professional
scenarios.

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Institute/University MyLaw Learning Resource Pvt Ltd

Course A Lawyer's Role in Court
Duration 10 Hours (min)
Course Fee 2000
Diploma/certificate Certificate
Eligibility Criteria Practicing Lawyer and Senior Law Students
Course Link https://mylaw.net/
Course Details Benefit from the skills of real-time practice before a court of law.
Created by experienced practicing advocates who have practiced
at every judicial level, it is an essential guide to help law students
and junior advocates who have just joined the profession learn the
essentials of court practice in an accelerated manner. It covers
everything you need to know including the services available on
the court premises, how to assist arguing counsel, how to address
the court, and much more.

Institute/University MyLaw Learning Resource Pvt Ltd

Course Fundamentals of Civil Drafting
Duration 10 Hours (min)
Course Fee 2000
Diploma/certificate Certificate
Eligibility Criteria Practicing Lawyer and Senior Law Students
Course Link https://mylaw.net/
Course Details This course will teach you how to draft the whole range of critical
documents involved in civil suits, including plaint documents,
written statements, affidavits and much more. It will also cover the
fundamental aspects of civil procedure. Created by expert
practitioners, this course will give you a practical understanding
of the essential principles of drafting for civil matters, while also
explaining the nature and relevance of the documents required at
every stage of a typical civil suit.

Institute/University MyLaw Learning Resource Pvt Ltd

Course Introduction to Drafting
Duration 10 Hours (min)
Course Fee 2001
Diploma/certificate Certificate
Eligibility Criteria Practicing Lawyer and Senior Law Students
Course Link https://mylaw.net/
Course Details Acquire one of the most essential skills that a legal professional
must have – drafting. This course will teach you the critical rules
and principles of drafting legal documents through the eyes of

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experienced lawyers who have designed this course to give you a

completely practice-oriented understanding of the subject. Aside
from comprehensively covering the best practices for drafting
legal documents in general, the course will also focus more closely
on contracts, notices, and pleadings.

Institute/University MyLaw Learning Resource Pvt Ltd

Course Human Rights Law
Duration 10 Hours (min)
Course Fee Free
Diploma/certificate Certificate
Eligibility Criteria Practicing Lawyer and Senior Law Students
Course Link https://mylaw.net/
Course Details For a just society governed by the rule of law, it is important that
people are able to access their rights and activate legal
mechanisms. This course, brought to you with help from the Ford
Foundation, delivers a working knowledge of the legal framework
governing human rights in India. You will learn about
fundamental rights and how to access them and special legal
provisions such as the Right to Information Act, the Consumer
Protection Act and other civil law remedies.

Institute/University MyLaw Learning Resource Pvt Ltd

Course International Arbitration
Duration 10 Hours (min)
Course Fee 2000
Diploma/certificate Certificate
Eligibility Criteria Practicing Lawyer and Senior Law Students
Course Link https://mylaw.net/
Course Details Gain a comprehensive understanding of the system and rules of
international arbitration. Created with institutional inputs and
guidance from the Singapore International Arbitration Centre, this
course will provide a practical understanding of the complex legal
framework that governs international arbitration, arbitration
agreements and procedures, the role of national courts, and
investment treaty arbitration.

Institute/University MyLaw Learning Resource Pvt Ltd

Course Private International Law
Duration 10 Hours (min)
Course Fee 2000
Diploma/certificate Certificate
Eligibility Criteria Practicing Lawyer and Senior Law Students
Course Link https://mylaw.net/
Course Details This course is a must not only for those interested in international
dispute resolution, but also for professionals whose work involves

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multinational transactions. This course takes you through the

major issues of ‘conflict of laws’ that are likely to arise in such
disputes, including the jurisdiction to entertain the dispute, which
national law must the court apply to decide the substantive issues
in dispute, and the cross-border recognition and enforcement of
foreign judgments.

Institute/University MyLaw Learning Resource Pvt Ltd

Course The Essentials of Procedure and Jurisdiction
Duration 10 Hours (min)
Course Fee Free
Diploma/certificate Certificate
Eligibility Criteria Junior Law Students
Course Link https://mylaw.net/
Course Details Benefit from a comprehensive overview of the legal knowledge
required for real-time practice. Every advocate must know the
rules of jurisdiction and procedure like the back of her/his hand,
and this course gives you this critical knowledge in a clear, simple,
and comprehensive manner. Created by expert practitioners of the
law, with a focus on fundamentals of writ and Supreme Court
jurisdiction, civil and criminal procedure and the principles of
evidence, this course is an absolute must for those who aspire to
build a successful career in litigation

Institute/University MyLaw Learning Resource Pvt Ltd

Course Fundamentals of Contract Law
Duration 10 Hours (min)
Course Fee 2000
Diploma/certificate Certificate
Eligibility Criteria Practicing Lawyer and Senior Law Students
Course Link https://mylaw.net/
Course Details Acquire a working knowledge of the fundamentals of contract
law. An understanding of contract law is essential for anyone
seeking to practice law either in the corporate sector or in
litigation. This course will teach you fundamental concepts and
practical ideas essential to a working knowledge of the law of
contracts.

Institute/University MyLaw Learning Resource Pvt Ltd

Course Article Writing and Publication for Law Students
Duration 10 Hours (min)
Course Fee Free
Diploma/certificate Certificate
Eligibility Criteria Practicing Lawyer and Senior Law Students
Course Link https://mylaw.net/

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Course Details Acquire the necessary skills to showcase your expertise in a

subject through journal articles, essays, newspaper columns, and
blogs. This course will help you take a step-by-step approach to
writing and getting published, starting with selecting topics,
planning your task, researching, writing, reviewing your work, and
finally, getting published. It even contains the basic learning that
you need to start publishing your own work.

Institute/University MyLaw Learning Resource Pvt Ltd

Course Mooting Skills for Law Students
Duration 10 Hours (min)
Course Fee Free
Diploma/certificate Certificate
Eligibility Criteria Junior Law Students
Course Link https://mylaw.net/
Course Details Acquire the necessary skills to participate and excel in domestic
and international moot court competitions. This course will
prepare you to work in teams and compete against others with a
step-by-step approach to reading moot problems, researching with
purpose, drafting written submissions, and preparing for oral
arguments. It also features practical wisdom from experienced
mooters Bhabna Das (NLSIU, 2010) and Uday Joshi (NUJS,
2010).

Institute/University MyLaw Learning Resource Pvt Ltd

Course Cloud Computing: Data Protection Regulation
Duration 10 Hours (min)
Course Fee Free
Diploma/certificate Certificate
Eligibility Criteria NA
Course Link https://mylaw.net/
Course Details

Institute/University MyLaw Learning Resource Pvt Ltd

Course Fundamental Rights in the Indian Constitution
Duration 10 Hours (min)
Course Fee 2000
Diploma/certificate Certificate
Eligibility Criteria Practicing Lawyer and Senior Law Students
Course Link https://mylaw.net/
Course Details Build a firm foundation for an understanding of the Indian
polity with this course on fundamental rights in the Indian
constitution.

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India chose to include in its constitution, a list of fundamental

rights, including rights in relation to equality, liberty, and the
protection of minorities, which cannot ordinarily be curtailed
by governments. This course will provide a detailed
understanding of what these rights mean, the purpose behind
their presence in the constitution, and how the Supreme Court
of India has interpreted them. It will deliver all the concepts
needed to clearly understand these rights and the tools needed
to keep this learning up-to-date.

Institute/University The West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences

Executive Certification in Sexual Harassment Prevention &
Course Workplace Diversity
Duration 3 Months
Course Fee 25000
Diploma/certificate Certificate
Eligibility Criteria Gradtuation
Course Link https://www.nujs.edu/nujs-academics-courses.html
Course Details Workplace-related laws like the anti-sexual harassment
laws are being introduced in India with the objective of creating
better workplaces. Although regulatory steps at present may be
fragmented, broken or incomplete, these laws need to be
effectively implemented, while simultaneously ensuring that
workplace equations between employees are not disturbed. This
is a huge challenge for organizations and presents an emerging
opportunity for HR managers, professionals,
experts, consultants and even lawyers to establish their
expertise and help businesses in compliance, training, and
building systems for creation of better workplaces.

Institute/University The West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences

Advanced Certification in Information Technology and Social
Course Media Law
Duration 3 Months
Course Fee 20000
Diploma/certificate Certificate
Eligibility Criteria Gradtuation
Course Link https://www.nujs.edu/nujs-academics-courses.html
Course Details Information technology practice and technology litigation is
fast emerging as one of the most lucrative practice areas.
Lawyers and business consultants have immense opportunity to
develop a thriving practice in the following sunrise industries:
 E-commerce
 Social Media
 Data Security

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 Cybersecurity
 E-discovery
 Online reputation management
 Software licensing
 Outsourcing
 Software as A Service (SAAS) and Cloud Computing
These emerging industries need capable legal professionals and
consultants, but there are few lawyers who know practical
aspects of IT business, and most lawyers are unable to provide
high-quality legal support.
One cannot become an effective IT lawyer just by studying the
Information Technology Act. If you want to practice in this
area, it is imperative to acquire a range of skills and industry
perspectives. This course is built to fulfill this need. Learn to
negotiate, draft and conduct IT due diligences. Acquire a deep
understanding of the various IT industries and their legal needs.

Institute/University The West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences

Advanced Certification in Investment Law and Institutional
Course Finance
Duration 3 Months
Course Fee 20000
Diploma/certificate Certificate
Eligibility Criteria Graduation
Course Link https://www.nujs.edu/nujs-academics-courses.html
Course Details Investment Banking is a highly lucrative area of practice. With
the growth of the Indian economy, investment is growing
exponentially and with a robust banking sector in place, the
time is ripe for all young law students and professionals to
understand this concept. This course elaborately explains the
introduction of banking laws and explains important concepts
such as Non Banking Financial Institutions, FDI, the role of
SEBI among others.

Institute/University LawSikho
Course Certificate Course in Advanced Criminal Litigation & Trial
Advocacy
Duration 3 Months
Course Fee 14000
Diploma/certificate Certificate
Eligibility Criteria N/A
Course Link https://lawsikho.com/course/certificate-criminal-litigation-
trial-advocacy

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Long Term Courses (National)

Institute/University National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS)
Course Sr. Secondary : Introduction to Laws (338)
Duration 26 Weeks
Course Fee Free
Diploma/certificate Certificate
Eligibility Criteria NA
Course Link www.nios.ac.in
Course Details The law affects all aspects of our life. It protects us right from the
mother’s womb to our education, service, marriage and other
important events of life. Law plays a major role in our everyday
lives, right from buying a newspaper or a bottle of milk or any
other big or small item necessary for our life. The law is so
important for our life that it becomes necessary to understand
various aspects of the law.
The Laws are the dictates by which the State governs its
prospects/people but are also binding on the State. By enacting the
law, the State also undertakes to obey them. But laws are not
enacted for their sake. There has to be a clear purpose behind each
piece of enacted law because all laws by their very nature have the
tendency to impose some restrictions or mount some obligation on
someone or other. Hence, introducing Law at senior secondary
level shall equip learners with basic information in the legal
domain that affects them daily. It will also help them to execute
their duties while protecting their own and other’s rights.

Institute/University LawSkills
Course Trademarks law in India
Duration 6 Months
Course Fee 8000
Diploma/certificate Certificate
Eligibility Criteria NA
Course Link https://www.lawskills.in/
Course Details Trademark is a Brand name. It can either be any name, symbol,
logo, device and slogan which is primarily used to both identify
and distinguish the goods or services of one person from that of
the other. Eg. The logo of McDonald, Coca Cola, Nike etc. The
purchasing decision of a person is highly influenced by the
trademark and the reputation or goodwill associated to it. In this
course, we will study the evolution of Trademarks, the
development of the concept, Trademark as Asset etc.
Trademarks are of several kinds like Product marks, Service
marks, Collective marks, Certification marks, etc. The purpose of
a Trademark is the same irrespective of its kind. It allows the
consumers to make a distinction between the sources of the

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product or the service and make an informed decision regarding

their choice of purchase.
As per the Trademarks Act, 1999, it is not mandatory to get a mark
registered in the course of its lifetime; however, it is advisable to
get it registered as it provides certain advantages to the owner of
the mark. The Registration process and the advantages associated
with it have been thoroughly explained in detail in the course.
The concept of Genericide (Generic Mark), Abandonment of a
mark and Infringement of a registered trademark, has been
comprehensively discussed in the course. The relationship
between Trademark and Advertisement has been made understood
through a full-fledged module covered under the course.
Further, the Trademark protection prevailing at an International
level through various Conventions and Treaties has been
extensively outlined. The learner will be able to understand the use
of a Trademark as a Collateral Security for Loans and Asset
Management.

Institute/University LawSkills
Course Money Laundering : Decoding the Law & Measures of Prevention
Duration 6 Months
Course Fee 2000
Diploma/certificate Certificate
Eligibility Criteria NA
Course Link https://www.lawskills.in/
Course Details The statute of Money Laundering i.e., the Prevention of Money
Laundering Act, 2002 has been enacted to combat money
laundering in India. It has the following three aims:

 To prohibit and control money laundering;

 To provide for the confiscation and seizure of property
obtained through money laundered; and
 To deal with any other issue connected with money
laundering in India.

The money obtained through illicit means cannot be used as one's

own economic asset and requires a cleansing of sorts. The
legitimization of the money received as gains from an illegal act
brings us to the concept of money laundering. The instant course
focuses on the sources, channels and modes of money laundering
and discusses the various legal provisions attracted by them.
The main focus of criminalizing money laundering is to take gain
out of the crime or fraud. The idea for the establishing of the
offence is that it is felonious for the individuals or business entities
to aid the criminals to incentivize them from the proceeds of their
pursuit of crimes or to ease the commission of such crimes by
giving them financial services.

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It is designed to cover the legalities associated to the complex

economic offence of money laundering alongside the punishments
that might accrue if one is convicted. The intensity of the offence
tracing the developments around bringing an end to the economic
offence of money laundering, is critically analyzed by the
Legislature, Executive and Judiciary.

Institute/University LawSkills
Course Introduction To Economic Offences And White Collar Crimes
Duration 6 Months
Course Fee 2500
Diploma/certificate Certificate
Eligibility Criteria NA
Course Link https://www.lawskills.in/
Course Details Crimes are as dynamic as the society. The offences which have
existed since time immemorial have extensively developed all
over the Globe in recent times. The conduct of the offenders and
the motivation behind the offences has changed a lot too. The
current course intends to educate the learner in the field of
economic offences. The form and matter of economic offences has
changed drastically and has affected the society at large. The
various aspects of economic offences have been identified here
and their implications are thoroughly analyzed. Economic
Offences and White Collared Crimes are persistently growing, and
it is seen that continuously new offences are being added to the
corpus of these crimes. The gravity of these offences is such that
they can significantly alter the financial health of the mightiest
nations. Considering the various factors alongside the need for
dynamism in the legal field, the course traverses through the
various concepts that factor into the commission of economic
offences. Due to their unique characteristics and lacuna in the legal
system, it is difficult at times for the Law Enforcement Agencies
to curb these crimes. This course outlines various Economic
Offences prevailing in India and their implications across different
settings – both at the domestic and international level.
The course further targets at bringing about general awareness
about the manner of conduct and the form of economic offences
and the stark dissimilarities they pose when analyzed alongside the
conventional offences. Special attention is given at analyzing the
economic crimes as discussed under the Penal Code to showcase
their perpetual existence in some form or the other. The course
also details out the serious initiatives taken by the various
enforcing agencies across the globe to curb the menace of these
economic offences.

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Institute/University LawSkills
Course Introduction to Legal Writing
Duration 6 Months
Course Fee 800
Diploma/certificate Certificate
Eligibility Criteria NA
Course Link https://www.lawskills.in/
Course Details Young graduates and experienced practitioners alike might find
legal writing to be a daunting task, since the flair of writing does
not come naturally to everyone. There is much more to legal
writing than bombastic and fancy sounding words, never-ending
sentences and infinite page counts. The present course will
introduce learners to the meaning and concept of legal writing,
especially in the modern, less conventional world as opposed to its
traditional form. It will also highlight the different types,
categories and objectives of legal writing.

Institute/University Law Skills

Course NEGOTIATION SKILLS: ESTABLISHING BETTER TERMS
Duration 6 Months
Course Fee 2500
Diploma/certificate Certificate
Eligibility Criteria NA
Course Link https://www.lawskills.in/
Course Details Negotiation is a game, and if you are skilled to play it well;
your chances of winning advances remarkably.
Arnav was offered a job with a leading software company. He was
really happy since he had been jobless for some time now. The
company HR made an offer to Arnav which did not impress him
much. Arnav tried his best to negotiate, but unfortunately the
company had already figured out that he was in terrible need of
the job. They refused to negotiate further. Arnav had no option but
to accept the offer.
Where do you think, did Arnav go wrong?
The mistake he made was that during the course of interviews and
discussions, he made it very obvious to the interviewers that this
job was the only option that he had and he could not afford to lose
this one.
Negotiation is central to almost every business or professional
activity and personal dealings too. Organized and systematic
preparation along with the ability to cope with different, shared
and conflicting interests – is critical to success.
This course is intended to provide learners with an understanding
of the interpersonal skills, factors and processes that facilitate and
add to the development of effective negotiation strategies, and
resolution of issues in any diverse contexts and situations.

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This course will help you understand both the analytical tools and
interpersonal techniques required for dealing effectively
(negotiating) with different bargaining styles and tactics.

Institute/University Law Skills

Course Economic Offences In India And Relevant Legislations
Duration 6 Months
Course Fee 1500
Diploma/certificate Certificate
Eligibility Criteria NA
Course Link https://www.lawskills.in/
Course Details Economic offences have a very diverse reach. These offences take
place across almost every field involving flux of economic
reserves. The current module tends to intricately curate the widely
committed economic offences, understand the form and manner of
these offences and then analyse their effect on their respect fields
and on the general public at large as well.
The course discusses the legal and administrative framework in
place dealing with the various economic offences and explains the
loopholes which are easily recognized and exploited by these
criminals. The impact of the offences on the growth and
development of the laws is also discussed with specific reference
to the several offences.
The several offences are categorized across five broad categories
and then a cumulative analysis is done so, as to help the learner
join the dots and extrapolate in the future as and when required.
Not just the laws but also the offences are discussed at length so
as to help the learner understand the criminal psyche behind these
offences and detect the offences at the earliest instant.

Institute/University LawSkills
Course How to Approach the Supreme Court - Practice and Procedures
Duration 6 Months
Course Fee 800
Diploma/certificate Certificate
Eligibility Criteria NA
Course Link https://www.lawskills.in/
Course Details This course delves into the structure of Indian Judiciary. It also
provides an introduction to the evolution of the Supreme Court of
India. This course will familiarize learners with the various
jurisdictions of the Supreme Court, procedure for approaching the
Supreme Court and power of Supreme Court, Supreme Court
Judges and Subordinate Courts / Judges.

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Institute/University LawSkills
Course Doing Business in India- A Complete Guide
Duration 6 Months
Course Fee Free
Diploma/certificate Certificate
Eligibility Criteria NA
Course Link https://www.lawskills.in/
Course Details The world is changing rapidly. With constant advances in
technology, communications and infrastructure, barriers are
disappearing and the business landscape is becoming more global
every day.
When you are looking to cross your national borders for new
opportunities, India is definitely one of the most sought after
destination.
Welcome to India! the fastest growing large economy in the world.
According to the World Bank, the Indian economy will grow at
7.3 % in 2018-19, followed by growth rate of 7.5% for next two
years. India's leap of 23 ranks in the "Ease of Doing Business
ranking" is significant considering that last year India had
improved its rank by 30 places. The implementation of GST with
effect from 1 July 2017 subsuming most of the central and state
level indirect taxes (except customs duty and stamp duty) for a
uniform indirect tax regime across India, is termed as the largest
indirect tax reform in the world in the past 2 decades.

After completing this course, you will be able to:

 Establish India presence to achieve your business objectives in

a fiscally efficient and compliant manner;
 Comprehend the approval process & policies for foreign direct
investment in India;
 Understand the Indian regulatory and tax regime; and
 Broad understanding of various social, legal, tax and
commercial framework relevant for doing business in India.

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Long Term Courses (International)

Institute/University The University of Law, Hong Kong

Course LLM Legal Practice (Intellectual Property)
Duration 18 Months
Course Fee HKD 89250
Diploma/certificate Degree
Eligibility Criteria bachelors degree
https://www.lawstudies.com/Online-LLM-Legal-Practice-
Course Link
(Intellectual-Property)/Hong-Kong/U-Law-Hong-Kong/
Course Details
This master's degree is designed for modern lawyers and managers
and explores the legal and commercial aspects of intellectual property
(Reg. No. 252960). The programme is designed in partnership with
major law firms and industry leaders. The University of Law is an
international leader in legal education with a 140-year-old history.
These courses are registered with the Hong Kong Non-local Courses
Registry (NCR). It is a matter of discretion for individual employers
to recognise any qualification to which these courses may lead.

Institute/University The University of Law , UK

Course LLB (Hons) Law with Criminology
Duration 3,4, or 6 Years
Course Fee GBP 9250
Diploma/certificate Degree
Eligibility Criteria BBB at A Level and Grade C/4 or above in GCSE English Language
https://www.lawstudies.com/Online-LLB-(Hons)-Law-with-
Course Link Criminology/United-Kingdom/University-of-Law-Online-
Undergraduate/

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Course Details
Study anytime, anyplace, anywhere with our Online LLB (Hons) Law
with Criminology degree, available as a 3, 4 or 6 years course. If
you’re looking to pursue a career in the legal or wider commercial
sector, have an interest in criminal justice, crime and criminal
behaviour, but require greater flexibility in study patterns and wish to
study 100% online, this could be the degree for you. This is a
Qualifying Law Degree, having a practical focus, with employability
embedded into the course. Not only will you study the key legal topics
and related skills for the modern law student, but the study of
Criminology will help make you employment ready and open up a
wider array of career options. The course will have a high level of
interaction and you will receive peer and one-to-one professional tutor
review, with over 90% of our tutors being qualified solicitors and
barristers. In 2019, the University of Law was awarded a silver rating
in the Teaching Excellence and Student Outcomes Framework (TEF).
We were found to deliver high-quality teaching, learning and
outcomes for our students and consistently exceed rigorous national
quality requirements for UK higher education.

Institute/University BPP University, UK

Course Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL)
Duration 1 Year
Course Fee GBP 10920
Diploma/certificate Diploma
Eligibility Criteria NA
https://www.lawstudies.com/Graduate-Diploma-in-Law-
Course Link
(GDL)/United-Kingdom/BPP-University/
Course Details GDL is designed to help you make a smooth transition from being a
non-law graduate into a career in law. As well as converting your non-
law degree, you will benefit from a real insight into life in practice.
Our course is delivered by industry specialists, many of whom have
been practicing solicitors and barristers. They bring a wealth of
practical experience to the classroom and teach in innovative ways,
ensuring that you are well prepared for the next stage of your training
and can demonstrate a higher competency when applying for training
contracts and pupillages.

Institute/University Abraham Lincoln University

Course Diploma in Paralegal Studies
Duration 12 Months
Course Fee USD 7500
Diploma/certificate Diploma
Eligibility Criteria NA
https://www.lawstudies.com/Diploma-in-Paralegal-
Course Link
Studies/USA/ALU/

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Course Details The Diploma in Paralegal Studies program provides the foundation in
the field of law necessary to obtain an entry-level position as a legal
assistant or paralegal in a law-related setting. Our online on on-
campus classes provide an accelerated learning environment in the
field of paralegal studies. Paralegal students are given a student-
account with Westlaw and become efficient in performing online
legal.

Institute/University University of Law, UK

Course Graduate Diploma in Law (i-GDL)
Duration 21 Months
Course Fee GBP 1930
Diploma/certificate Diploma
Eligibility Criteria Undergraduate degree in any discipline
https://www.lawstudies.com/Online-Graduate-Diploma-in-Law-(i-
Course Link
GDL)-Part-time/United-Kingdom/University-of-Law-GDL-Courses/
Course Details
Here are just some of the reasons why our GDL is best placed to help
you prepare for your future legal career:
. A better-paced programme
. Our better paced GDL makes it manageable to learn vast amounts of
law in a very short space of time.
. Immersive learning with no excessive end of course assessments
. Unlike linear GDL programmes, where all subjects run together at
the same time, our unique course structure is very similar to your first
degree and is spread over two semesters, meaning you can actually
'bank' some exams in the first semester and therefore remove any
excessive end of course assessment burden.
. Teaching by qualified lawyers

Institute/University Arden University, UK

Course LLB (Hons) with Qualifying Status
Duration 3 Years
Course Fee £13,150
Diploma/certificate Degree
Eligibility Criteria Two subjects at GCE A-Level or equivalent
https://www.lawstudies.com/LLB-(Hons)-with-Qualifying-
Course Link
Status/United-Kingdom/Arden-University/

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Course Details
Arden University’s online LLB (Hons) with Qualifying Status will
provide you with the necessary legal skills to start your career as a
legal professional. Develop your legal and ethical understanding with
this programme, and specialise in areas of interest to you and your
career path.

Arden’s flexible study mode allows you to develop your knowledge

of law around your existing commitments. This programme will equip
you with the sound negotiation and problem-solving skills required to
take you closer to your career goals.

The full range of programmes offered by Arden features a strong focus

on employability, practical skills, and career success. This programme
has been developed to help you understand the tenets of law from a
variety of perspectives, and give you the skills for a career in the
justice system.

Institute/University University of Essex Online

Course CertHE Law
Duration 16 Months
Course Fee GBP 1617
Diploma/certificate Certificate
Eligibility Criteria Graduation
https://www.lawstudies.com/CertHE-Law/United-
Course Link
Kingdom/University-of-Essex-Online/
Course Details
If you’re keen to try university study, our CertHE Law course online
can be achieved as a stand-alone qualification or used as a stepping
stone towards a Bachelors degree. The course has been designed to
give you an introduction to the English Legal System, both from a
civil and criminal perspective as well as looking at key criminal law
concepts and principles.

The study is based on specific law-related issues within the context of

cross-functional modules that will develop your communications,
presentation, writing, analytical and critical thinking skills.

Law is a widely recognized and highly respected subject and the

knowledge gained on our CertHE Law will open up many
opportunities for you to develop your career both inside and outside
the legal field.

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Institute/University Loyola Law School

Course Master of Tax Law (MT)
Duration 2 Years
Course Fee USD 40080
Diploma/certificate Degree
Eligibility Criteria Graduation
https://www.lawstudies.com/Master-of-Tax-Law-
Course Link
(MT)/USA/LoyolaLawSchoolOnline/
Course Details The faculty of Loyola's Graduate Tax Program have more than 100
years of experience producing top-quality tax law professionals.
Through this program, tax professionals who don't hold a law degree
can expand their skill set beyond accounting and experience the same
rigorous, hands-on education as those pursuing the Tax LLM
program.

Graduate ready to pursue tax associate positions in the Big Four and
other accounting firms, large banks, trust companies, wealth
management firms, the IRS and other government agencies.

Institute/University Universitat de Lleida, Spain

Course Master in Criminal Justice System
Duration 1 Year
Course Fee EUR 46
Diploma/certificate Degree
Eligibility Criteria Degree in Law
https://www.lawstudies.com/Master-in-Criminal-Justice-
Course Link
System/Spain/Universitat-de-Lleida/
Course Details
The master's main objective is to offer specialized training that
integrates the various disciplinary contents that converge in the
criminal justice system, an objective that corresponds to a need for
comprehensive training for those who wish to guide their professional
or scientific activity in this area. It intends to grant specialized and
integral training to graduates in Law, criminology, psychology,
sociology, political sciences and other social sciences related to crime
in the different configurative disciplines of the criminal justice system,
basically integrated by substantive criminal law, the criminal process
, criminology and victimology.

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Institute/University American University Washington College of Law

Course Master of Legal Studies
Duration 15 Months
Course Fee
Diploma/certificate Degree
Eligibility Criteria
https://www.lawstudies.com/Master-of-Legal-Studies-
Course Link
(MLS)/USA/AmericanUniversityLaw/
Course Details
The online Master of Legal Studies program from American
University Washington College of Law is designed for non-lawyers
who could benefit from fundamental legal training but do not want to
become practicing attorneys. Through a curriculum that covers
advanced legal concepts across various industries and an in-person
immersion in Washington, D.C., students will be prepared to apply
legal skills in their everyday role.

Institute/University Seneca College of Applied Arts and Technology (Seneca) - Canada

Course Diploma in Paralegal
Duration 2 Years
Course Fee INR 5,36,880
Diploma/certificate Diploma
Eligibility Criteria 12th and TOEFL, ILETS score
https://studyabroad.shiksha.com/canada/universities/seneca-college-
Course Link
of-applied-arts-and-technology/diploma-in-paralegal
Course Details
This program prepares students to become a licensed paralegal in
accordance with the requirements of the Law Society Act.

In this program, student will acquire an understanding of general

principles of law and receive theoretical and practical training in
specific legal subjects, legal ethics and small business practice.

Student will use their well-developed literacy skills in every course as

they interpret detailed instructions, apply legislation to fact situations
and prepare a variety of legal documents and letters.

Institute/University MacEwan University - Canada

Course Legal Assistant diploma
Duration 2 Years
Course Fee INR 7,41,089
Diploma/certificate Diploma
Eligibility Criteria TOEFL, IELTS, PTE

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https://studyabroad.shiksha.com/canada/universities/macewan-
Course Link
university/legal-assistant-diploma
Course Details MacEwan University’s School of business offers 2 year Legal
Assistant diploma program which helps the student in learning
everything they need to know about starting a successful career as a
legal assistant, from legal terminology to legal procedures, and
communications to computer work.

Institute/University Queen Mary University of London

Course International Dispute Resolution
Duration 1 Year
Course Fee EUR 4417
Diploma/certificate Postgraduate Certificate
Eligibility Criteria Graduation and IELTS Score
Course Link https://hs.online.qmul.ac.uk/international-dispute-resolution
Course Details
International Dispute Resolution LLM gives you the opportunity to
open up your career to the vast and exciting world of international
arbitration and global casework.

With an in-depth focus on commercial arbitration, you will develop a

detailed view of all key legal issues arising in the course of arbitration
proceedings.

Institute/University International Career Institute (ICI) - UK

Course Paralegal Secretarial
Duration 6 Months
Course Fee EUR 940
Diploma/certificate Diploma
Eligibility Criteria IELTS, TOEFL score
https://icieducation.co.uk/courses/law-and-justice/paralegal-
Course Link
secretarial/
Course Details The course is designed for those who seek to enter the profession and
for experienced paralegals and legal secretaries who wish to improve
their skills and upgrade credentials.

Institute/University International Career Institute (ICI) - USA

Course Criminal Psychology - USA
Duration 6 Months
Course Fee EUR 1461
Diploma/certificate Diploma
Eligibility Criteria IELTS, TOEFL score
https://www.icieducation.com/courses/law-and-justice/criminal-
Course Link
psychology/

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Course Details
The Criminal Psychology course provides an opportunity to interact
with and learn from very successful, highly qualified and experienced
professionals. It will assisst you in entering a fast growing profession.
Criminal Psychologists play a vital and exciting role in different legal
proceedings, especially when it comes to figuring out the intent and
reactions of criminals. Their expertise plays key roles in offender
profiling and providing second opinions in case studies and witness
interrogations, among others.

Institute/University International Career Institute (ICI) - UK

Course Private Investigation - UK
Duration 8 Months
Course Fee EUR 1175
Diploma/certificate Executive Diploma
Eligibility Criteria IELTS, TOEFL score
https://icieducation.co.uk/courses/law-and-justice/private-
Course Link
investigation/
Course Details
The ICI Private Investigator course will unveil the secret tricks of the
trade and teach what normally takes years of on the job experience.
Private Investigator course can be beneficial to those employed or
seeking employment in the above professions as it will demonstrate a
unique set of skills which are seen as valuable in the above jobs. Such
training will undoubtedly set you apart from your colleagues. At the
same time, it also gives you an unfair advantage in applying / being
considered for promotions and new employment positions that you
may be competing for.

Institute/University International Career Institute (ICI) - UK

Course Criminal Psychology - UK
Duration 6 Months
Course Fee EUR 940
Diploma/certificate Diploma
Eligibility Criteria IELTS, TOEFL score
https://icieducation.co.uk/courses/law-and-justice/criminal-
Course Link
psychology/
Course Details
The Criminal Psychology course provides an opportunity to interact
with and learn from very successful, highly qualified and experienced
professionals. It will assist you in entering a fast growing profession.
Criminal Psychologists play a vital and exciting role in different legal
proceedings, especially when it comes to figuring out the intent and
reactions of criminals. Their expertise plays key roles in offender
profiling and providing second opinions in case studies and witness
interrogations, among others.

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Institute/University Doane University

Course Health Law, Policy, and Advocacy
Duration 5 Months
Course Fee USD 199
Diploma/certificate Certificate
Eligibility Criteria IELTS, TOEFL score
Course Link https://www.edx.org/course/health-law-policy-and-advocacy
Course Details
To be an effective agent of change, a healthcare administrator must
have a foundational understanding of healthcare advocacy, law, and
regulatory issues, as well as compliance. This course will focus on a
wide range of important issues in health law, health policy and the
factors at play when developing a strategic advocacy platform such as
bioethics and informed consent. At the conclusion of this course,
learners will be able to identify health policies that promote quality,
advocacy and system change within a healthcare organization.

Institute/University International Career Institute (ICI) - UK

Course Criminal Justice and Criminology
Duration 6 Months
Course Fee EUR 982
Diploma/certificate Diploma
Eligibility Criteria IELTS, TOEFL score
https://www.ici.net.au/courses/law-and-justice/criminal-justice-
Course Link
criminology/
Course Details
Criminal Justice & Criminology training provides an opportunity to
interact with and learn from very successful, highly qualified and
experienced professionals. It also allows you to enter an ever growing
profession. This course leads to the awarding of an ICI Diploma in
Criminal Justice & Criminology. ICI Diploma level courses recognise
the graduates capacity for initiative and judgment across a broad range
of technical and management functions. Certificate holders typically
have personal responsibility and autonomy (semi-independence) in
performing technical operations or organising others in the workplace.

Institute/University Utica College

Course Financial Crimes Investigator
Duration 1 Year
Course Fee
Diploma/certificate Certificate
Eligibility Criteria Degree, IELTS, TOEFL score
https://www.shortcoursesportal.com/studies/57980/financial-crimes-
Course Link
investigator.html#content:description

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Course Details The online FCI certificate is available exclusively from Utica College,
arming future forensic investigators with critical-thinking skills,
understanding of accounting principles, and a firm grasp on
investigative auditing.
Professionals in the field may be responsible for detecting and
preventing financial crimes in the workplace, conducting internal
audits, or enforcing compliance, regulations, standards and ethics.
The online Certificate blends criminal justice with investigative
accounting to explore different types of internal and external fraud
scenarios in addition to understanding the tools and intelligence
needed to identify the increasingly complex structures of financial
fraud and money laundering

Institute/University South Dakota State University

Course Agricultural and Environmental Law
Duration 4 Months
Course Fee EUR 321
Diploma/certificate Certificate
Eligibility Criteria IELTS, TOEFL score
https://www.shortcoursesportal.com/studies/293456/agricultural-
Course Link
and-environmental-law.html#content:fees_and_funding
Course Details
Take your knowledge of the law and agricultural experience to the
next level with the Agricultural and Environmental Law course at
South Dakota State University. Focus on legal issues that arise in rural
communities and the food industry.
Examine legal concerns surrounding water quality, land-use and other
environmental issues. The Agricultural & Environmental Law
certificate provides a foundational understanding of core agricultural
legal concepts while offering different areas of emphasis that appeal
to your specific interests and experiences.

Institute/University National and Kapodistrian University of Athens studies

Course Sports Law and International Sports Law
Duration 4 Months
Course Fee EUR 800
Diploma/certificate Certificate
Eligibility Criteria IELTS, TOEFL score
https://www.shortcoursesportal.com/studies/178704/sports-law-and-
Course Link
international-sports-law.html#content:fees_and_funding

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Course Details This Sports Law and International Sports Law programme at National
and Kapodistrian University of Athens is an introduction to the world
of sports key concepts as conceived in national and international law.
At the same it imports us to the concept of sports disputes, the nature
and character of sports courts and the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Through this online course we will recorded and investigate major
problems that encounter in the international racing and sport activity.
Finally, we will analyze the topic of labor relations developed in the
context of professional activity of individuals in sports and racing
activity.

Institute/University Anglia Ruskin University, UK

Course Law and Ethics in Health and Social Care
Duration 3 Months
Course Fee EUR 2723
Diploma/certificate Certificate
Eligibility Criteria IELTS, TOEFL score
https://www.shortcoursesportal.com/studies/30103/law-and-ethics-
Course Link
in-health-and-social-care.html
Course Details All staff working in health and social care have, in some shape or
form, felt the impact of the Francis Inquiry (2010-2013) in the wake
of failings at Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust, where the key
focus for patient safety policy and ethical practice made 290
recommendations including the need for compassionate care,
empathy, problem solving and ethical reasoning. Additionally, the
Department for Health recently published a review of 'never events' –
incidents that should never have occurred.
Our course will give you the opportunity to study the ethical and legal
issues that arise in medical and healthcare practice. It will explore the
moral problems you may face in the course of your work, provide the
background for recognising issues that may raise legal liability, and
reflect on the legal, social and ethical context in which healthcare
practice is situated.

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