The Importance of Continuing Legal Education
The Academy's Legal Education Department is one of the most sought-after and appreciated Academy service. The total number of years of experience with Estate Planning, Medicaid and Financial Services in this department is overwhelming. Ask anyone in the membership which aspect of the Educational support offered is used the most in their firm and you're likely to get 10 different answers from 10 different members!
The Education team stays busy keeping the documents current, updating the membership on law changes and recent developments through "FYIs", creating materials for training and answering questions from the membership. A complete online knowledge base for use when unique client needs arise.
While some members transitioning from another type of law practice to this field may enjoy the comprehensive training programs, a more experienced member gets the most out of the constant stream of alerts updating the membership on the latest breaking news and case study information related to estate planning. Still other members value the monthly educational conference calls or sessions at our Summits twice per year.
The Academy endorses the significant substantive training that is essential to be effective counseling clients. The amount of continuing legal education (CLE) offered by the Academy surpasses 40 hours per year and the Academy expects members to have 36 hours of relevant CLE each year. CLE can be met by attending local CLE events, listening to qualified CLE audio recordings or qualified live conference calls or attending Academy educational events. Our members are very proud to be among the most sophisticated, educated estate planning attorneys in the country. Whether a member has “met” or “not met” the Academy recommended education, is reflected on the member listing.
The Academy created the Fellow Designation in 2008 to recognize Member attorneys who demonstrate an expertise in their field and actual practical experience in the total estate planning, trusts, estate, guardianship and trust administration fields. The Fellow Designation is another way for Member attorneys to further distinguish themselves from other attorneys. The Fellow designation is based on rigorous criteria established by the Academy, the Board of Governors, and the Education Advisory Board. For more information on the Fellow Designation, click here to see the official Press Release.
The Education Advisory Board (eab@aaepa.com) was created to ensure that the Academy's development of Educational support for the members remains on target. This Board consists of 6 members and a Chairperson of the board. They assist the Academy with the planning of future projects and provide essential feedback on projects in progress. Feel free to direct any questions you wish to this board as you investigate membership.
“With the AAEPA Education Department to back me up, I can handle cases which I might not have current, fresh information to handle, and not enough time to research by myself. More importantly, when I have a hunch that I need help, or guidance, I contact the Academy. It may only take a little nudge to get me on the right path, but then, I have a greater level of assurance I am on the right path.
The AAEPA documents truly are the result of the combined efforts of the Academy staff and its members resulting in a quality product which I could have never created on my own.”