Keep on learning

Like ordination to the priesthood, law school leaves an indelible mark on your soul.  At least, it sure feels that way.

I retired from active law practice years ago.  I haven't argued a case in court for even longer.  And yet, I still consider myself a lawyer.  I can't imagine not being a lawyer.  And I can't imagine myself voluntarily going onto "inactive status" in the bar association -- as many attorneys do, upon retirement. 

And that explains why, year after year, I continue paying dues to the bar association.  Keeping my membership "active."  Keeping my powder dry.  Just in case a legal emergency should occur, one that requires me to leap feet first into the courtroom, filing motions, serving subpoenas, arguing precedents, and generally making a pest out of myself.  Or in case the governor pleads with me to accept a judgeship.

But continued membership in the bar requires more than payment of exorbitant annual dues.  It also requires complying with continuing legal education requirements.  In Washington, every attorney on active status must submit to 45 hours of legal education every three years.  To keep himself up to date.  Just in case those long hours representing his clients don't do the trick sufficiently.

These credits are earned, traditionally, by attending seminars -- what are called CLE ("continuing legal education") seminars -- on any subjects that he or she may find interesting or useful.  In recent years, he can also earn a portion of those credits from his home or the office by watching streamed videos of past seminars on the computer.

Until this year, I've always earned all my credits by actually attending seminars in person.  The legal community is still small enough that you're apt to meet and chat with colleagues you haven't seen for a while, and it's interesting to watch the presenters in person.  This year, however, which is the third year of my reporting cycle, meaning that I must report 45 hours of CLE by the end of next month, I have earned some of my credits online.

Why?  Because it dawned on me only in September that I still needed 16 credits by the end of the year.  A certain panic set in.  I quickly watched a three hour presentation on arbitration before leaving for Thailand in October.  That left 13 credits to go.

Somehow, this seemed like an incredible hurdle.  Just sitting for 13 hours in front of a screen, paying attention to lectures?  Hardly the same as studying for a final exam, or writing a term paper, right?  But there I was.  Apparently, my tolerance for being required to do anything associated with a deadline has practically vanished since I retired.

All this leads up to my good news that since Wednesday I have earned 12.75 of the necessary 13 hours.  And the experience was actually a pleasure.  I'd been worried that it would be far more difficult to pay attention to lectures on a screen than to watch them in person.  Actually,the opposite may be true.  I have fewer distractions at home than I do sitting with a crowd in a seminar room.  And I can take a break whenever I want, for as long as I want.  Thus, I watched the first seminar, "Advanced Trial Practice and Insights," in three separate segments over a two day period.  I watched the second, "Insurance Law Update," in four segments over a three day period. 

The ability to pace one's watching however you wish avoids that sinking feeling by noon during the course of a six or seven hour seminar that you'll never make it through the long afternoon.

I was lucky in one respect.  Both seminars were on subjects still of interest to me, and both were given by excellent speakers with years of practice in the fields they were discussing.  Watching was not drudgery. 

Nevertheless, I'm glad it's over.  Of course, I still have to pick up another 15-minute lecture some time before December 31.  I feel I can live with that.