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Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education aims to keep raising the caliber of lawyers' professional and ethical service to their clients and communities, by providing comprehensive and practical continuing legal education of the highest quality to the broadest possible audience.

Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education aims to keep raising the caliber of lawyers' professional and ethical service to their clients and communities, by providing comprehensive and practical continuing legal education of the highest quality to the broadest possible audience.

WHO WE ARE

MCLE—Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education, Inc.—is a nonprofit corporation organized pursuant to Chapter 180 of the Massachusetts General Laws and Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. It is governed by a board of trustees and assisted by curriculum advisory committees addressing nine distinct areas of legal practice.

J. W. Carney, Jr., Esq.
J. W. Carney, Jr., Esq. J.W. Carney Jr. & Associates, Boston
"I studied what the lawyers were doing and marveled at the skills they exhibited, but it didn't help me to understand how they got to that point. What MCLE does is bring these great lawyers to a CLE program and have them explain how they do what they do."
Amy C. Mariani, Esq.
Amy C. Mariani, Esq. Mariani Mediation Services LLC, Boston
"Let's face it — a lot of people want to get their information over the internet now, and a lot of people don't have time to go to in-person programs. So the fact that MCLE has really taken the lead in developing new format techniques is terrific for Massachusetts."
Richard S. Milstein, Esq.
Richard S. Milstein, Esq. Founding Director, MCLE
"I recognized early on that the difference between law school and practice is intense, and that I needed help learning how lawyers do the things they do. Our mission is to provide post-legal education for lawyers to teach them the theories of practice and to keep them up to date on the rapid changes in the law."
Phyllis E. Federico, Esq.
Phyllis E. Federico, Esq. Schmidt & Federico, PC, Boston
"MCLE can only do what it's doing because of its philanthropic approach. The greatest beneficiaries of the MCLE scholarships, besides the lawyers who are able to utilize them, are the vulnerable of our society, because those are the people that those lawyers service."
Richard M. Zielinski, Esq.
Richard M. Zielinski, Esq. Goulston & Storrs, PC, Boston
"The biggest advantage that MCLE offers to new lawyers is that it's a one-stop shopping place. It's a place where whatever your level of experience and sophistication, you know you will find everything you need in order to get through the problem you're facing."

WHAT WE DO

MCLE is the Massachusetts legal community's premier provider of hands-on educational programs and reference materials. Its particular focus is applied law: practical, highly concrete training for attorneys in the essential elements of professional practice.

MCLE's mission is to keep raising the caliber of lawyers' professional and ethical service by providing comprehensive and practical continuing legal education of the highest quality to the broadest possible audience. In fulfilling this mission, MCLE presents more than 200 programs annually, in a variety of in-person and online formats; publishes more than 160 practice manuals, available as ebooks as well as in print; and offers an online subscription product (the MCLE OnlinePass®) with unlimited access to all of its webcast programs and its entire book collection.

A not-for-profit, 501(c)(3) educational institution, MCLE relies on membership dues to help subsidize its ongoing research and development and on charitable donations to expand access to continuing legal education. MCLE awards approximately 1,300 tuition scholarships each year to legal services staff attorneys, practitioners accepting pro bono cases, and lawyers certifying financial need.

AWARD-WINNING CLE

2024

Award of Outstanding Achievement in Publications 2024

Elder and Disability Law in Massachusetts

2023

Award of Outstanding Achievement in Technology 2023

Adapting Legacy A/V Systems to Deliver Cutting-Edge Programs

Award of Outstanding Achievement in Public Interest 2023

Representing Hispanic & Latinx Clients

2022

Steven Leleiko Memorial Award for Professional Excellence 2022

Lowering the Barriers to Participation: Free CLE for Civil Legal Aid Advocates

Award of Outstanding Achievement in Programs 2022

MCLE Estate Planning & Administration MasterClass

Award of Outstanding Achievement in Marketing 2022

A Drip Marketing Campaign for the MCLE Estate Planning & Administration MasterClass

2021

Award of Outstanding Achievement in Public Interest 2021

Probate and Family Court County-by-County Bench/Bar Conference

Award of Outstanding Achievement in Marketing 2021

Google Ads on a Budget

2020

Award of Professional Excellence in Technology 2020

Enhancing Website Research Capabilities with Non-MCLE Content

Award of Outstanding Achievement in Marketing 2020

Using Marketing to Respond to Business Interruption During Crisis

2019

Award of Outstanding Achievement in Publications 2019

A Practical Guide to Ethics for Paralegals and Legal Assistants

2018

Award of Professional Excellence in Publications 2018

Hanging Your Shingle: Starting and Operating a Solo or Small Firm Practice

Award of Outstanding Achievement in Technology 2018

Handling IOLTA Accounts and Other Trust Property in Massachusetts: A Training and Testing Module

2017

Award of Outstanding Achievement in Public Interest 2017

Title VI Language Access Conference

Award of Outstanding Achievement in Marketing 2017

MCLE OnlinePass® Subscriber Alerts

2016

Award of Outstanding Achievement in Publications 2016

Data Security and Privacy in Massachusetts

Award of Outstanding Achievement in Marketing 2016

Enhanced Day-of-Program Sales Efforts

2015

Award of Professional Excellence in Public Interest 2015

Probate & Family Court Lawyer for the Day Training

Award of Outstanding Achievement in Marketing 2015

MCLE ThisWeek Free Webcasts

2014

Award of Professional Excellence in Public Interest 2014

Legal Services Conference 2013

Award of Professional Excellence in Marketing 2014

MCLE OnlinePass® Telemarketing Campaign

Award of Outstanding Achievement in Publications 2014

Collaborative Law: Practice and Procedures

2013

Award of Outstanding Achievement in Publications 2013

International Judicial Assistance: Serving Process, Obtaining Evidence, Enforcing Judgments and Awards

Award of Outstanding Achievement in Technology 2013

MCLE OnlinePass® All-Access Streaming CLE & Online Library

Award of Outstanding Achievement in Marketing 2013

Accelerated Subscriber List-Building for Publications

2012

Award of Outstanding Achievement in Technology 2012

Automated Online Program Materials & Evaluations

2011

Award of Outstanding Achievement in Publications 2011

A Practical Guide to Discovery and Depositions in Rhode Island

Award of Outstanding Achievement in Technology 2011

MCLE eBooks

2010

Award of Outstanding Achievement in Marketing 2010

MCLE WebBriefs

2009

Award of Professional Excellence in Programming 2009

Guns, Drugs and Money

Award of Outstanding Achievement in Publications 2009

College and University Law

Award of Outstanding Achievement in Marketing 2009

MCLE New Lawyer Advantage Campaign

2008

Award of Outstanding Achievement in Programming 2008

Wealth Management BootCamp for Lawyers

2007

Award of Outstanding Achievement in Marketing 2007

E-Mail Newsletter—Weekly Practice Tip and Calendar

2005

Award of Outstanding Achievement in Public Interest Projects 2005

MLRI Accessing Affordable Housing for Low-Income People

Award of Outstanding Achievement in Marketing 2005

Book Collection Flow Charts

2004

Award of Outstanding Achievement in Programming 2004

Spanish 101 for Lawyers

Award of Professional Excellence in Marketing 2004

New Lawyer Promotion at Swearing-In Ceremony

2003

Award of Professional Excellence in Programming 2003

CPCS Sex Offender Notification and Registration/SDP Commitment Training

Award of Professional Excellence in Publications 2003

Legal Rights of Individuals with Disabilities

Award of Outstanding Achievement in Public Interest Projects 2003

VLP Senior Partners for Justice Initiative

2002

Award of Outstanding Achievement in Marketing 2002

Cover Designs That Sell Books

2001

Award of Outstanding Achievement in Programming 2001

MCAD Certified Discrimination Prevention Training Program

Award for Professional Excellence in Public Interest Projects 2001

MLRI Lobbying on a Shoestring

2000

Award of Outstanding Achievement in Publications 2000

Election Administration, Campaign Finance and Lobbying Law

Award of Outstanding Achievement in Technology 2000

PLI Interactive Groupcasts

Award of Professional Excellence in Marketing 2000

A Taste of MCLE—Introduction of MCLE to New Lawyers

1999

Award of Professional Excellence in Public Interest Projects 1999

Civil Legal Services Advocacy Series

Award of Professional Excellence in Marketing 1999

"Grow Your Associates"—Professional Development Planning

1998

Award of Outstanding Achievement in Publications 1998

Massachusetts Superior Court Civil Practice Series—Practice Manual, Forms, and Jury Instructions

1997

Award of Outstanding Achievement in Programming 1997

Hanging Your Shingle—Establishing, Developing and Running a Law Practice

1996

Award of Professional Excellence in Programming 1996

Massachusetts Environmental Justice Network Training

Award of Outstanding Achievement in Publications 1996

MLRI Advocate's Guide to Surviving the SSI System

Award of Outstanding Achievement in Marketing 1996

Special Edition Seminar Catalogs

1995

Award of Professional Excellence in Programming 1995

Why She Doesn't Leave—G.L. c. 209A

Award of Outstanding Achievement in Publications 1995

Obtaining and Using Medical Records in Massachusetts

1994

Award of Professional Excellence in Programming 1994

On Trial with Judge Young

Award of Outstanding Achievement in Publications 1994

Massachusetts Legal Directory

Award of Outstanding Achievement in Marketing 1994

Massachusetts Legal Directory

1993

Award of Outstanding Achievement in Publications 1993

Trying Drug Cases in Massachusetts

Award of Outstanding Achievement in Marketing 1993

New Lawyer's Kit

Each year, the Association for Continuing Legal Education (ACLEA), an international association of CLE professionals, presents its "ACLEA's Best" Awards to recognize creativity, innovation, excellence, and outstanding achievement in the categories of marketing, programs, publications, public interest, and technology. MCLE is proud to have received awards in each of the five categories and to be recognized consistently by its professional colleagues around the world as one of the best in what we do.

HOW WE GOT HERE

Originally conceived as a committee of the Massachusetts Bar Association (MBA), MCLE was incorporated in 1969 as a joint venture of the MBA and the Boston Bar Association (BBA). (In 1976, MCLE merged with the New England Law Institute, gaining a history of CLE dating from 1953.)

MCLE operated from a number of locations in the first two decades after its formation, but in the early 1990s it truly found a home, at Ten Winter Place in Boston's Downtown Crossing. Adapted from a former bank facility and colonial-era residence, MCLE's conference center features a state-of-the-art 342-seat auditorium, along with additional classrooms, conference space, a bookstore, and administrative offices.

Twenty-two presidents, from a variety of practice backgrounds and professional experiences, have helped lead MCLE over its first several decades, as the organization has continued to work on developing the best methods, resources, and products to meet the educational needs of the legal community. Established primarily as a seminar provider, MCLE went on to develop one of the nation's most extensive collections of legal practice publications. In recent years, to meet the changing practice needs of the bar, MCLE has offered an impressive array of electronic resources, including webcasts, ebooks, a resource intensive website environment, and an online subscription product, the MCLE OnlinePass®. MCLE has also expanded its publication program into other New England states, with offerings in Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Connecticut, and Maine.

As MCLE moves forward, an unflagging pursuit of its educational mission and an ability to change with the needs of the bar will continue to define its path.