| What is distance learning? |
| An opportunity for lawyers to meet a portion of their annual requirement by participating in online or computer based CLE programs. |
| How many distance learning courses can I take? |
| Lawyers in Pennsylvania have the option of completing four (4) hours per compliance year.
Any credits earned via distance learning in excess of the four credit limit, will not carry over into the next compliance period.
New York attorneys may earn CLE credit by attending CLE courses offered in the traditional live classroom format, or in nontraditional formats such as audiotapes, videoconferences, online, etc., so long as the NY CLE Board has accredited the provider to offer the course in the particular format, or the course is eligible for credit under New York’s Approved Jurisdiction policy. There is no limit for distance learning for NY attorneys.
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| Can I fulfill my ethics requirement via distance learning? |
| Yes, as long as there is an ethics component in the program you have chosen. |
| How will the CLE Board learn of my participation in a distance learning activity? |
| You will receive a Certificate of Credit upon completion of each course.
For PA requirements, Gratz College will automatically submit your credits and fees to the Pennsylvania CLE Board. You may check your updated status at www.pacle.org.
For New York, you should print your Certificate of Credit to retain for your files in case of audit. All NY attorneys must certify, at the time of their biennial registration, that they have satisfactorily completed their CLE requirement for that reporting cycle and that they have retained the proper documentation.
For all other states, you should print your Certificate of Credit and retain and/or submit as per the requirments of that state along with any other necessary forms and fees. |
| How will my distance learning credits be applied to my PA CLE transcript? |
| PA CLE's compliance tracking system will maximize up to four distance learning credits earned each compliance period. At most 4 distance learning credits will be applied to a compliance period and no distance learning credits will be carried forward.
During a standard compliance period, a lawyer attends 12 hours of non-distance learning credits. A week before the compliance deadline four more credits are earned via distance learning. PA CLE's compliance tracking system will apply the four hours of distance learning credit to the annual requirement and then add eight additional credits to meet the requirement of 12 credits. The system will carry forward the four remaining non-distance learning credits in accordance with the regular rules and regulations for CLE.
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| Is there a limit to the number of courses I can take? |
| You can take as many courses as you like, but Pennsylvania lawyers can apply only 4 distance learning credits per year to their 12-credit requirement.
New York attorneys have no limit to the amount of distance learning per biennial reporting cycle. Experienced attorneys must complete a total of 24 accredited CLE credit hours during each biennial reporting cycle (the two-year period between your attorney registrations). At least 4 of these credit hours must be in the Ethics and Professionalism category. The remaining credit hours may be in any category of credit.
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| How do I get CLE credits? |
| In order to obtain CLE credit, you must:
View or listen to the entire program, complete the online evaluation form,
AND then obtain your Certificate of Credit(the system does not register your completion of the course until it has displayed your certificate).
The certificate should pop up automatically at the end of the program, but
if not, click the certificate tab that displays at the bottom of the program
window.
For Pennsylvania, Gratz College will report your credits to the Pennsylvania CLE Board within 30 days. Do NOT send your certificate to the Pennsylvania CLE Board. Keep it for your records.
For all other states, attorneys are required to follow thier own states guidelines for submitting CLE completion credits. Please refer to the FAQ reguarding your state. More states will be added as we confirm state requirements. |
| I am a New York or Pennsylvania attorney living in another state, can I use Gratz College CLE online to get CLE credits? |
| Yes. |
| Can I get continuing education credit in other professions for participation in online CLE? |
| At present, none of our online programs are approved for other professions. |
| Can I get CLE credit in states other than Pennsylvania for participation in online CLE? |
| Yes. The following states will accept a PA Certificates of Credit when submitted by the attorney: New York, Florida, Arizona. If fees or other state forms are required, it is your responsibility to submit them. Please keep one copy of the Certificate of Credit in your personal files in case of audit.
Other states will be added as the requirements are reviewed and confirmed. |
| Does my state accept a 60-minute credit hour or a 50-minute credit hour? |
| As of October 2007, the following jurisdictions have a 60-minute credit hour:
Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, North Carolina, North Dakota, New Hampshire, Nevada, Oregon, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginina, Vermont, Washington, and Wyoming.
As of October 2007, the following juridictions have a 50-minute credit hour:
Colorado, Florida, Kansas, Missouri, New Mexico, New York, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, Virgin Islands, West Virginia, and Wisconsin
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| I am a New York attorney, can I get NY credits for a Gratz College online CLE course? |
| Yes. Pennsylvania is an approved jurisdication for New York credit and Gratz College meets all the New York requirements to provide Certificates of Credit to NY attorneys. |
| I am a Florida attorney, can I get FL credits for a Gratz College online CLE course? |
| Yes. Gratz College is an approved CLE provider in Pennsylvania. Per the Florida CLER website, courses approved by other state bars are generally acceptable for use toward satisfying Florida's CLER. After completing the Gratz College Online CLE course,
attorneys must file the "Continuing Legal Education Application for Course Attendance Credit " form along with a copy of the certified attendance record, printed upon completion of course, to the Florida Bar by fax or mail. Course credits cannot be filed electronically because the course originated out of state.
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| I am an Arizona attorney, can I get AZ credits for a Gratz College online CLE course? |
| Yes. Since Gratz College CLE courses meet the Pennsylvania requirements, these courses should qualify for Arizona MCLE credits. Arizona attorneys are expected to use their own judgement when choosing courses . Please see information below from the the Arizona State Bar as to the MCLE regulations.
"The State Bar of Arizona does not approve or accredit programs for the Mandatory Continuing Legal Education requirement or the Board of Legal Specialization requirement. The MCLE Rule (Rule 45, Ariz.R.S.Ct.) and its accompanying Regulations, are predicated on the assumption that attorneys can evaluate CLE activities offered based on the guidelines set forth in the Regulations, and report their activities by affidavit. The standards are very broad and many sponsors routinely meet these standards. "
Online CLE participation is considered "live" or "interactive" credit for Arizona.
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| I am a Colorado attorney, can I get CO credits for a Gratz College online CLE course? |
| Yes. As per the Colorado website:
Submit a Colorado Affidavit form with the section entitled "accreditation in another (mandatory CLE) state" completed. Or, submit the "Uniform Certificate of Attendance" (provided by some sponsors of CLE programs) along with a statement certifying that the CLE program is accredited in another mandatory CLE state. Also, indicate the name of the state and the number of credits awarded by that state.
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| Will Gratz College report my credits to the PACLE board? |
| Yes. Just as we do for traditional seminars, we will report your completed distance education courses within 30 days to the Pennsylvania CLE board.
For all other states, attorneys are required to file their own credits or retain the Certificate of Credit in case of audit. |
| For the Florida Bar, I need to file the Continuing Legal Education Application for Course Attendance Credit. Where do I find it? |
| http://www.floridabar.org/TFB/TFBResources.nsf/Attachments/8720CCC5A0198EE185256B29004BD858/$FILE/03CLER_CourseAttnd.pdf |
| I am a California attorney, can I get CA credits for a Gratz College online CLE course? |
| A California attorney can claim California MCLE credit for education activities attended/taken outside California, provided that: the attorney is outside California when attending/taking the activity; the activity is the type of activity that can be approved for California MCLE credit;
the activity is approved by an Approved Jurisdiction. Pennsylvania is an approved California jurisdiction. If the criteria above are met, neither the provider nor the member needs to submit the activity to California for approval. California credit can be claimed by the attorney, based on the fact an approved jurisdiction approved the activity.
California attorneys please note:
The California attorney must be outside California when attending/taking an education activity in order to receive California credit for an activity approved by another jurisdiction. Electronic (e.g., online and telephonic activities) and self-study activities (e.g., tapes, CDs, self-assessment tests) that an attorney attends/takes while inside California (regardless of where the activity originates) must be approved for credit by California.
Gratz College will give California attorneys a certificate of attendance that shows the number of hours that can be claimed for credit; including ethics credit.
Members should retain the certificate of attendance, as well as sufficient documentation to establish that the activity is a type of education that can be approved for California credit.
If you are a California attorney, currently living in California, please contact the Gratz College CLE staff for further information before purchasing courses.
215-635-7300 ext. 154
mblechman@gratz.edu
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| Will Gratz College report my online CLE credits? |
| Only for Pennsylvania CLE credits.
For other states, attorneys are required to file their own credits or retain the Certificate of Credit in case of audit.
If fees or other state forms are required, it is your responsibility to submit them. Please keep one copy of the Certificate of Credit in your personal files in case of audit.
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| I am behind in credits for past years. Can I use distance credits for earlier years? If so, how many can I use? |
| Yes, you can apply distance education credits that you earn now to earlier years, but no more than 4 credits per year. Note: the CLE board applies credits to prior years as they are earned, regardless of whether they are live or online credits. Contact the Pennsylvania CLE Board if you have questions, at (800) 497-2253. For other states please check your state requirments. |
| Can I get partial credit for a course I don't complete? |
| Sorry, no. The system can only give credit when you complete the course. |
| Do I need to watch the entire course at one sitting? |
| No, you can view it at your own pace. You just need to click “Next Segment” after you have finished a segment in its entirety, to lock in. So, if you complete segment 1, you click Next Segment, then, you can logout, and come back a day, a week, a month later and pick up with Segment 2 and so on until the course is complete. |
| The program date is in the past. Does that mean I missed it? |
| No. That is the date that the program was recorded. All of our online seminars are available 24/7 to view at your convenience. |
| Can I use a Mac computer to access these courses? |
| While we don’t recommend using a Mac, we have tested on Macs and they work fine. But, the user has to have the Windows Media Player plugin installed in order for the courses to work.
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| I have other questions. How do I get answers? |
| Please contact the Gratz College CLE coordinator at
mblechman@gratz.edu |
| Does Gratz College have a financial aid policy for CLE courses? |
| Financial Hardship/Scholarship Policy for Gratz College CLE
Gratz College is a non-profit institution of higher learning and professional education. The Gratz College CLE Coordinator will consider all requests for special payment arrangements due to financial hardship on a case by case basis. Upon registration, applicants must disclose their situation and reason for financial hardship, e.g. unemployment, working for non-profit organization, etc. Reduced fees will be arranged based upon what applicants feel they can afford. No participant will be turned away due to financial circumstances.
Note: To date, special fees have been arranged for every party who has made a request. Unemployed attorneys, attorneys working for non-profit organizations, and attorneys who have had catastrophic illnesses are often approved for reduced fees.
It is the experience of the CLE Coordinator that people do not usually ask for financial assistance unless they really need it, and therefore, it is incumbent upon the provider to offer assistance upon request. However, the financial hardship policy, while scrupulously upheld, does not appear in writing on registration forms in order to deter those from asking who do not sincerely need financial assistance.
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