ACCREDITATION

Credit will be given only for CLE programs approved by the Commission. Such approval normally must be sought and granted prior to the occurrence of the activity, but may be given retroactively. Regulations 4.1 The following standards will govern the approval of continuing legal education activities by the Commission. 4.2 The activity must be effectively open to all attorneys licensed to practice law in the State of Mississippi, unless offered by a governmental department or agency for employees of the governmental department or agency. By making an application for approval by the Commission, the seminar sponsor consents to the seminar being listed on the calendar of upcoming CLE events disseminated by the Commission. 4.3 The activity must have significant intellectual or practical content and its primary objective must be to increase the participant's professional competence as an attorney. 4.4 The activity must deal primarily with matters related to the practice of law, professional responsibility or ethical obligations of attorneys. 88 4.5 The activity must be offered by a sponsor having substantial, recent experience in offering continuing legal education or demonstrated ability to organize and present effectively continuing legal education. Demonstrated ability arises partly from the extent to which individuals with legal training or educational experience are involved in the planning, instruction and supervision of the activity. 4.6 The activity itself must be conducted by an individual or group qualified by practical or academic experience. The program, including the named advertised participants, must be conducted substantially as planned, subject to emergency withdrawals and alterations. 4.7 Thorough, high quality, readable, and carefully prepared written materials must be made available to all participants at or before the time the course is presented, unless the absence of such materials is recognized as reasonable and approved by the Commission; mere outline without citations or explanatory notations will not be sufficient. Materials in an electronic format may be acceptable in lieu of printed material as long as the attorney consents to receive such material. Printed material must be made available to those attorneys for whom the electronic format is not satisfactory. 4.8 The activity must be conducted in a physical setting conducive to learning. 4.9 Activities offered by any sponsor must provide a qualified on-site moderator and question-and-answer session. Telephone seminars must be conducted “live,” not pre- recorded, and must provide a question-and-answer session. As a minimum the activity must consist of not less than one (1) hour of actual instruction. 4.10 Each online program or online seminar will be reviewed for approval on a case by case basis. The course content, interactivity, as well as the effectiveness of the delivery method will be considered in the approval process. Applications for approval must be submitted by the sponsor and submitted 30 days prior to the beginning date of the program. Applications will not be approved retroactively. Sponsors must be able to verify attorney attendance and the number of hours attended. Attorney attendance must be reported to the Mississippi Commission on CLE immediately following the conclusion of the program. 4.11 Activities that cross academic lines, such as an accounting-tax seminar, may be considered for approval. 4.12 At the conclusion of an approved program or activity, each participating attorney must be given the opportunity to complete an evaluation questionnaire addressing the quality, effectiveness and usefulness of the particular activity. Within thirty (30) days of 99 the conclusion of the activity, a summary of the results of the questionnaire must be forwarded to the Commission. If requested, copies of the questionnaires must also be forwarded to the Commission. Sponsors must maintain the questionnaires for a period of 90 days following a program pending a request for submission of them to the Commission. 4.13 The costs of the program itself to the participating attorney, apart from optional meals, lodging, travel, etc., must be reasonable considering the subject matter, instructional level, etc. 4.14 Continuing legal education activities sponsored by the following organizations (hereinafter referred to as Sponsors) are presumptively approved for credit, provided the standards set out in Regulations 4.1 through 4.13 are met. Abbott & Weems "Recent Mississippi Law" Accredited law schools (ABA or AALS) Alabama Institute for CLE American Academy of Hospital Attorneys American Academy of Judicial Education American Agricultural Law Association American Association of Railroad Trial Counsel American Bar Association and Bar Sections American Bankers Association (legal programs only) American Business Law Association American Board of Trial Advocates American College of Mortgages Attorneys American College of Probate Counsel American College of Real Estate Lawyers American College of Trial Lawyers American Corporate Counsel Association American Institute for Justice American Institute on Federal Taxation American Intellectual Property Law Association American Judicature Society American Law Institute American Society for Law and Medicine Association of Insurance Attorneys Association of Trial Lawyers of America Bar Associations of Other States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and Trust Territories Boackle, K.F. Bureau of National Affairs 1010 Central Mississippi Legal Services CLE International Commercial Law League of America Fund for Public Education Construction Education Management Corp. (legal programs only) Copyright Society of the U.S.A. Council of School Board Attorneys, MS School Boards Association Court Practice Institute, Inc. Credit Union National Association, Inc. (legal programs only) Cumberland School of Law Institute for CLE Defense Research Institute East Mississippi Rural Legal Services Eastern Mineral Law Foundation Edison Electric Institute Federal Bar Association Federal Energy Bar Association Federal Insurance Counsel Federal Judicial Center Federal Publications, Inc. Food Marketing Institute Government Institutes, Inc. Gulf Coast Law Institute International Association of Defense Counsel International Association of Insurance Council Jackson Young Lawyers Association Law Journal Seminars Press Legal Education Institute Legal Sections, agency programs - U.S. and state government Library of Congress - Legislative Service Library of Congress (American Law Division) Louisiana Trial Lawyers Association Magnolia Bar Association Maritime Law Association Medi-Legal Institute Memphis Bar Association Mississippi Association of County Board Attorneys Mississippi Bankruptcy Conference Mississippi Bar Association, and Bar Sections, Local, County and Regional Bar Associations in Mississippi Mississippi Chapter, Federal Bar Association Mississippi College School of Law 1111 Mississippi Defense Lawyers Association Mississippi Institute of Continuing Legal Education Mississippi Judicial College Mississippi Law Institute Mississippi Legal Services Coalition Mississippi Municipal Attorneys Association Mississippi Oil and Gas Lawyers Association Mississippi Pro Bono Project Mississippi Prosecutors College Mississippi Society of Certified Public Accountants Mississippi Tax Institute Mississippi Trial Lawyers Association Montgomery County, Maryland Bar Foundation Motor Carrier Lawyers Association National Association of Bond Lawyers National Association of Attorneys General National Association of College and University Attorneys National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers National Association of Railroad Trial Counsel National Bar Association National Business Institute National College of District Attorneys National College of Juvenile Justice National Contract Management Association National District Attorneys Association National Employment Law Institute National Health Lawyers Association National Institute for Trial Advocacy National Institute of Municipal Law Officers National Judicial College National Legal Aid and Defender Association National Organization of Social Security Claimants' Representatives National Practice Institute National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (legal programs only) New Mexico Trial Lawyers New Orleans Orthopaedic Clinic (legal programs only) New York University School of Continuing Education in Law & Taxation North Carolina Academy of Trial Lawyers North Mississippi Rural Legal Services Norton Institutes (CRR Publishing Co.) 1212 National Association of Bond Lawyers Patent Resources Group, Inc. Practicing Law Institute Prentice Hall Law and Business, Inc. Professional Education Systems, Inc. Professional Trial Lawyers Institute, Inc. Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation Securities Industry Association (legal programs only) South Mississippi Legal Services Southeast Mississippi Legal Services Southeastern Bankruptcy Law Institute, Inc. Southern Federal Tax Institute, Inc. Southwest Mississippi Legal Services Southwestern Legal Foundation Tennessee Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers Tennessee Trial Lawyers Association The National Center for Justice and the Rule of Law The Southern California Tax & Estate Planning Forum The Southern Trust School (Alabama) Transportation Lawyers Association Uniform Commercial Code Institute University of Mississippi Center for Continuing Legal Education U.S. League of Savings Association (legal programs only) U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Legal Education Veterans Administration (Office of General Counsel) Westcott Communications Other Sponsors may be added to this list as their identities and programs are confirmed by the Commission. 4.15 The Sponsor of an approved CLE activity may announce in informational literature or program materials as follows: "THIS COURSE OR A PORTION THEREOF HAS BEEN APPROVED BY THE MISSISSIPPI COMMISSION ON CONTINUING LEGAL EDUCATION FOR A MAXIMUM OF _______ HOURS OF CREDIT.” The sponsor of a CLE activity which has applied for but not received approval prior to the printing of informational literature or program materials may announce as follows: 1313 "THE SPONSOR HAS APPLIED TO THE MISSISSIPPI COMMISSION ON CONTINUING LEGAL EDUCATION FOR APPROVAL OF THIS COURSE OR A PORTION THEREOF FOR A MAXIMUM OF _______ HOURS OF CREDIT." 4.16 The Commission may at any time reevaluate a program and revoke approval of the Sponsor or of a particular seminar. 4.17 Any Sponsor not included in Regulation 4.14 above, desiring approval of a course, program, or other activity, will apply to the Commission by submitting a required application form and supporting documentation no less than forty-five (45) days prior to the date for which the course or program is scheduled. The Commission will advise the applicant in writing by mail within thirty (30) days of the receipt of the completed application whether the activity is approved or disapproved. Applicants denied approval of a program or activity may appeal such a decision by submitting a letter of appeal to the Commission within fifteen (15) days of the receipt of the notice of the disapproval. [Amended effective August 1, 1995; Regulations 4.7, 4.9 and 4.10 amended effective December 9, 2004 to allow limited use of approved on-line programs; amended effective July 1, 2009 to add two approved sponsors to Regulation 4.14.]