Legal news and trends for Canadian in-house counsel and c-suite executives
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Some of the new courses are suitable for self-study, which can be counted towards mandatory CLE if it is interac- tive or has a testing component. CLESBC is developing short online-only courses that it is hoping to deliver via video. "The primary goal with respect to those sessions is to make them interactive. Adult learners have a lot to contribute to the learning experience." In addition there is a wealth of printable material that is available by subscription online. "It's a wonderful resource," says Friesen. "There are books and extensive manu- als, some are 2,000 pages long. If you buy a hard copy you also get the online ver- sion. With electronic material you can search, cut and paste into other docu- ments, and compile into a package." Wood is having a greater challenge converting print publications to the Internet. "Once they are online there is an expectation that they are always up-to-date. It is a challenge to keep them available and current." Next month he is launching the Alberta Residential Conveyancing Practice Manual on a Wiki-based collaborative platform, pre-populated with the content of the 800-page practice manual, that will be opened to the residential conveyancing community to edit and keep up-to-date. Wood believes this sort of online com- munity would be an important resource for in-house counsel. "We will have the ability to support those who are physi- cally isolated from each other in a virtual space." The Law Society of Manitoba has recently created a new position dedi- cated to new media programs. So far it has one free self-study module, to review the changes in the western provinces' conveyancing protocol, which is receiv- ing good feedback. Another resource for those con- fined to the office are the webinars produced by the larger law firms, such as McCarthy Tétrault LLP, Osler Hoskin & Harcourt LLP, and Stikeman Elliott LLP. There are also programs from the major accounting firms like KPMG and Deloitte & Touche LLP on risk manage- ment and other financial issues tailored to in-house counsel. Martel says corpo- rate counsel are making extensive use of this type of CLE. "Over the last two or three years, these firms have been consistently putting out high-quality webinars that are free for in- house counsel. This is the new norm. It's not just audio anymore." Martel works in Quebec's Eastern Townships, and like many of her colleagues, does not always have time to attend events in person. She watches at least one webinar per month instead. "The quality is tremendous." Despite the increased uptake of online legal education, Martel believes it won't do away with the desire and need for traditional CLE. "The ACC still gets a tremendous turnout for in-person semi- nars. Hopefully online will never take the place of going to mix with your peers, meeting, greeting, and networking." But there is no doubt that its avail- ability makes life a whole lot easier when mandatory CLE comes to town. IH 34 • AUGUST 2009 INHOUSE