The Ongoing Education Of A First-rate Lawyer
When people talk about how important continuing education is to society at large
, the example that usually comes up is the medical field. There is no way to overstate the importance of doctors, nurses and therapists staying abreast of changes in their fields, as health care is of primary concern to everyone. The availability of continuing education (now even online) has had a tremendously positive impact on public health, but another socially important area benefiting from the technology is the legal profession. When you are injured in accident through no fault of your own, you want to know that your doctors have been staying up to date on medical techniques. You should also want to be sure about the ongoing education of a first-rate lawyer, like the one you will get to help with you accident claim.
Next to their staying healthy, staying within the law in their personal, professional and business activities is about the most important consideration for people today. With new laws going on the books every year, continuing legal education is no longer an option, but a necessity, for every practicing attorney. It is equally important that prospective clients know that the lawyer they are using, or going to use, is up to date on the law. Not only should you ask about a lawyer's degrees, you should ask how they maintain their expertise with ongoing education, seminars, classes and workshops.
State by state, district by district
Every one of the 50 states in the U.S. has oversight agencies that certify professionals in a variety of specialties, including medicine, law, accounting and so forth. Being "admitted to the bar," in fact, is something that lawyers must do on a state-by-state basis, as there is no single "national bar" that comprises all the states. In fact, being accredited to practice in the federal court system (which would include U.S. possessions such as Guam, the Virgin Islands, etc.) would constitute a 51st detail for any legal eagle who wants to practice across the country. However, there is no record of any lawyer ever being admitted to practice in every state in the country.
Because laws differ so greatly from state to state, the same way practices and procedures do in such varied legal specialties as criminal law and probate, the curricula of the various schools and accredited continuing education providers would be specific to individual states. Even for attorneys admitted to the federal bar, continuing legal education would have to cover the different court districts around the country. Each district has its own legal precedents and case law, so practicing law in federal districts has to be mastered individually, just like mastering individual states and individual specialties.
Modern flexibility for today's attorneys
With Internet-based distance learning a growing alternative to brick-and-mortar classrooms, lawyers (like other professionals) can continue full-time workloads and serve their clients while scheduling their continuing legal education with great flexibility. In this way, continuing education helps to keep the gears and levers of the justice system well-oiled and functioning, even as the gear-pullers and lever-handlers of the legal profession stay abreast of current legislation and court decisions.
As a client, you should also benefit, and greatly, from the advances that help your attorney stay updated and at the top of his or her profession. All honest lawyers will be happy to discuss not only their college education and where they got their degrees, but the ways in which they maintain their competitive advantage via continuing education. Attorneys have been able to move into additional specialty areas, based not only their original schoolwork but on much more recent studies, and understandably take great pride in the achievement. These are all signs of a motivated professional, one that realizes that staying at the top of one's game is even harder that getting to the top in the first place.
Bottom line
Perhaps it strikes you as unseemly that notions of competitiveness should be introduced into the justice system, when the more common cry is for fairness or equality. However, our legal system is called an adversarial one, and it means that the law can be used against you in unscrupulous ways and by unethical practitioners, in both the public and private spheres. You need the best, most assertive, smartest and most up-to-date lawyer you can get.
One of the best ways of finding a sharp and capable attorney is to inquire about ongoing education (where? when?) and specialization (what? how?). When a prospective lawyer shows a good track record, has a degree from a good school and is engaged in pretty much constant continuing education, put a star by that name. You've got a winner.
by: Mickey Fine
Frequently Asked Questions About Florida Traffic School Education at NIIT University Messages for Teachers from Men of Peace Some Thoughts on Peace Education Did you know Teaching Elementary Art stimulates the child's brain? SecondSchool Launches Partner Program Constructing A Safe School Building Scholarships For Moms to Go Back to School - How to Get a Scholarship Online Vcad Raises The Bar For Fashion Design Schools Finding Others In My Area Who Homeschool What Is Nurse Education And Why You Need It Suppliers For School Food Services First Phase of Character Education