R.i. Sup. Ct. R. A
Pursuant to the authority granted to the Mandatory Continuing Legal Education (MCLE) Commission to administer Article IV, Rule 3 of the Supreme Court Rules, the following accreditation criteria are hereby adopted as Appendix A to be used to determine if continuing legal education activities submitted for MCLE accreditation satisfy the general Standards specified in Article IV, Rule 3.7 and MCLE Regulation § 1.3.7.
Continuing legal education activities shall be accredited for MCLE in Rhode Island if they meet the following accreditation criteria:
(a) The activity consists of an organized program of education dealing with:
(1) Substantive or procedural subjects of law;
(2) Technical, scientific, or other bodies of knowledge that are so inextricably intertwined with an area of law practice as to be tantamount to a subject of law;
(3) Legal skills and techniques;
(4) Legal ethics and/or professional responsibility; or
(5) Diversity, equity, and inclusion relating to the practice of law; or
(6) Law office management.
(b) The instructors or lecturers are either qualified attorneys or judges, or they are experts in the subject area based on their education and background;
(c) The activity is primarily designed and targeted to attorneys and other professionals who would require the same level of instruction as attorneys in the area of study that is the subject of the activity;
(d) The activity is not a meeting of a bar association, committee, section, or other entity composed of attorneys that is designed to be a general business or work session as opposed to a continuing legal education activity;
(e) The activity is not training in the actual use of specific hardware, software, or other tools that are specific products of a particular company or person, unless such training is merely a method of explaining the overall concept being taught; and
(f) High quality written materials should be distributed to all participants at or before the time the activity is offered.
"Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI)" shall include programs that recognize the diversity of society and teach attorneys to effectively serve and have regard for this multi-lingual, multi-cultural, multi-racial, multi-religious, and multi-gender society while focusing on equity by highlighting equal opportunity and outcomes for all and achieving equal justice under the law, regardless of being a protected class or status.
"Diversity" refers to the variety of personal experiences, values, and worldviews that arise from differences of culture and circumstance. Such differences include, but are not limited to, race, ethnicity, gender, age, religion, language, abilities/disabilities, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, and geographic region.
"Equity" is the guarantee of fair treatment, access, opportunity, and advancement for all, while at the same time striving to identify and eliminate barriers that have prevented the full participation of marginalized groups.
"Inclusion" is the act of creating environments in which any individual or group can feel welcomed, respected, supported, and valued.
Examples of such programs shall include, but are not limited to, those that address one or more of the following: the challenges faced by groups underrepresented in or by the legal profession, eliminating bias, access to justice, increasing representation, reducing harassment, and barriers to hiring, retention, promotion, professional development, and full participation of underrepresented groups in the legal profession; give practical advice to participants that they can utilize and employ when improving DEI in their professional circles as well as the legal profession as a whole; and have speakers with personal and/or professional experience with DEI and offer unique insight into the challenges facing the legal profession and the justice system.
"Legal ethics" shall include programs that deal with usages and customs among members of the legal profession, involving their moral and professional duties toward one another, toward clients, and toward the courts.
"Professional responsibility" shall include programs that deal with maintaining the integrity and competence of the Bar so that legal services are delivered with the highest degree of professional conduct.
Examples of such programs shall include, but are not limited to, those involving disciplinary rules, rules of professional conduct, malpractice avoidance, substance abuse and stress as an impairment on law practice, alternate dispute resolution, pro bono legal services, and the participation of women and minorities in the legal profession.
"Law office management" shall include programs on topics that relate strictly to law offices and legal departments, and to the development and training of lawyers in the actual practice of law, as opposed to other businesses or professions, and in assisting them in providing high quality legal services to their clients.
Examples of such programs shall include, but are not limited to, those involving;
(1) administrative and organizational structure and planning for law firms:
(2) case management and docket control;
(3) accounting systems and time and billing systems for lawyers;
(4) client filing and monitoring systems;
(5) computerization, automation and data processing for law firms; and
(6) personnel management.
"Law office management" shall NOT include programs involving:
(1) individual money management or investing;
(2) personal development;
(3) techniques designed and marketed solely to increase profits of a lawyer or firm;
(4) general time management and personal organizational skills; and
(5) individual communication and interpersonal skills such as interview skills.
R.i. Sup. Ct. R. A