At a Glance:
- ABA has dropped the requirement of legal education programs with three or more presenter include at least one diverse speaker.
- The revised CLE policy states that the program organizer will “invite and include” program moderators and speaker from historically underrepresented groups.
- The CLE programs were restored in Florida the day new policy was approved.
American Bar Association has dropped the requirement of legal education programs with three or more presenter include at least one diverse speaker. The change was initiated this week by ABA’s Board of Governors after the Florida Supreme Court in December ruled that the lawyers in the state cannot earn CLE credits for programs offered by groups that require diversity among speakers.
The court commented that the ABA’s diversity requirement constituted a discriminatory quota system.
What does the ABA’s revised CLE policy entail?
The revised CLE policy states that the program organizer will “invite and include” program moderators and speaker from historically underrepresented groups. However, there is no ant specific requirements as with the previous version that ABA adopted in 2017.
The programs will be monitored by newly created subcommittee to ensure that the programs are advancing the organization’s Goal III that will eliminate bias and enhance diversity within the legal profession. The ABA’s policy retreat embarks the second recent setback efforts by the organization for promoting diversity in the legal profession.
ABA officials speak
Reginald Turner, the ABA President announced that the new CLE policy will maintain the organization’s commitment to diversity and inclusion. He adds, “Everyone benefits when participation in ABA programs, including our CLE panels, is maximized.”
The ABA spokeswoman said that the CLE programs were restored in Florida the day new policy was approved. Florida will require all licensed attorneys to complete 33 hours of CLE every 3 years. As confirmed by the ABA, Florida currently has 77,000 licensed lawyers.
