Do You Need CLE Accreditation to Sell Your Webinar or Presentation?

Let’s get the answer out of the way: No, you don’t need CLE accreditation to significantly increase registrations for your presentations. What you need are relevant, useful topics that answer a question or solve a problem. Oh, and knowledgable, prepared speakers.
Maddingly archaic continuing legal education (CLE) rules and regs render many of the more useful programs non-credit worthy. An example is the recent webinar: Using IPads In Your Law Practice. It garnered over 800 registrants without offering CLE credits. Some states would deny accreditation for this course (whether these types of courses should be accreditable is another, fiercely debated topic). In this case, trying to squeeze the webinar into a CLE-eligible mold for a number of states would have handcuffed the presenter, compromised the materials and resulted in a less than useful presentation.
But all CLE regulations are not created equal. Since there is no uniformity among states, courses not eligible in one state may be in another. So, for attorneys that attended your non-accredited course and need credit, all is not lost. They can request credit directly from the state in which they’re licensed.
The guide below provides information and links to application forms. (Note that the guide is based on information from CLE rules and regulations of each state and subject to change as rules are modified by the courts)
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