You, my fellow bar members, have definite opinions on MCB CLE and we’ve heard you. Over the past year, we have taken important steps to ensure that CLE has its proper place and focus within our bar. In May 2018, the MCB leadership approved (i) the hiring of an independent consultant to assess current operations, identify what the market wants, help us form our value proposition, recommend clear roles for the CLE committee and CLE staff and roadmap a plan for next steps, and (ii) the formation of a CLE Task Force to work with the consultant and forward the MCB Board recommendations for best serving our members and the profession while at the same time balancing member value and insuring profitability.
A year later, there’s still work to be done, but here’s where we are: the CLE Audit Task Force worked with RR Consultant Group of Madison, Wisconsin, since last fall to analyze past accomplishments, review current operations and restructure the CLE program to remain viable in the marketplace. RR Consultant Group delivered their final report to staff in March 2019. That report can be accessed MeckBar.org.
The CLE Audit Task Force then met with stakeholders from MCB staff, the Membership Value Task Force, the Executive Committee and the Board of Directors to review the report and prioritize the recommendations. This working group identified three specific action items to be implemented over the next 90 days. These action items include: (i) mining data regarding what our members need and want from our CLE program; (ii) assessing CLE operations, marketing and communications; and (iii) creating a CLE-specific vision and strategic plan. We have formed three subcommittees to address these specific action items. Each will work intently to ensure that our members receive value from their memberships as it relates to our CLE program.
I expect that there also may be some work for you. We heard from some of you in focus groups held by the Membership Value Task Force, and we’ve heard from more of you in meetings and informal gatherings, in your completed CLE program evaluations and in your response to our 2015 membership survey. We ask for your continued patience as we do the work to get to the place that’s right for our bar, and we ask for your input. Answer the call if you get a request for feedback, or feel free to send me an email if you have some insight to share.
In the meantime, we continue our recent tradition of offering MCB members one hour of CLE credit as part of their dues; our next offering is one hour of general CLE credit, on Thursday, May 23 at 10:30 a.m. at the Bar & Foundation Center. The topic “Data Privacy and Cybersecurity 101: Cyber Issue Spotting for Lawyers” fulfills your new one-hour technology CLE credit.