At the ACLEA annual meeting last summer, I gave a plenary talk, “10 Ways Technology is Rewiring Lawyers’ Brains … and What it Means for CLE.” Several times during that talk, when I wanted examples of online CLE sites that were engaged in social media, that were transparent about their products and pricing, that understood [...]
The online CLE provider Lawline.com has launched a mobile-enhanced website that allows all of its more than 300 video CLE programs to be viewed on most mobile phones and smartphones. While it is not the first to provide audio of CLE through a mobile phone, it is the first to make it easy to view video of courses.
Open www.lawline.com in your mobile browser and you will be redirected to Lawline’s mobile-enhanced site (or just go directly to m.lawline.com). Once there, you are presented with a list of categories (ADR, antitrust, banking, bankruptcy, etc.). Select a category to see the list of courses offered within it. Or, you can toggle the view to see a list of all courses by title.
Once you select a course, you come to a page from which you can launch the video. The page includes a description of the course and tells you the states in which it is eligible for CLE credit. From this page, you download a PDF of the course materials or an MP3 file with just the course audio. I like that the page includes reviews of the course from others who have taken it.
Embedded at random points within the videos are verification codes that you will need if you want CLE credit. These provide proof that you watched the whole video. After you’ve completed the course, you are e-mailed a certificate of completion.
So far, it costs nothing to view any of these videos on a mobile phone. I suspect that this free access is only temporary, given that Lawline describes this new mobile-enhanced version as a beta. Plus, unless you are a registered Lawline subscriber, you cannot obtain CLE credit for any of these mobile course or download any of the course materials.
Prices for Lawline courses generally run around $40 a credit. It offers a variety of subscription bundles or a full year of unlimited CLE for $499.
One minor complaint about the mobile version is that it does not show course prices — or at least I couldn’t find them.
As I mentioned earlier, there are other ways to get audio of CLE on your mobile phone. For example, West LegalEdCenter and Practising Law Institute both have apps for the iPhone and iPad. There are a number of CLE podcasts available through bar associations and private providers.
But Lawline appears to be the first to provide video. Having now watched bits and pieces of a few of these, I can report that the mobile site is easy to use and that the videos ran without a glitch.
I am attending a debate in New York City tomorrow, Dec. 3, entitled “Evolution or Revolution? The Future of the Law Firm Business Model.” I plan to live-tweet during the debate and later to sum it up in a blog post.
The program is sponsored by LexisNexis and features a stellar line-up of panelists:
The program is scheduled for 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. ET, although I am not sure precisely what time the discussion will start. Anyone interested can follow me on Twitter tomorrow evening, @bobambrogi.
Chicago Lawyer magazine today has this piece by reporter Olivia Clarke on lawyers using the Web to network. I was one of the lawyers Clarke interviewed for the piece.
Beginning in February 2009, the Martindale.com lawyer directory will include rankings and commentary from London-based Chambers & Partners, Martindale’s parent, LexisNexis, announced today. The addition is part of a broader effort to enhance Martindale.com through the introduction of new tools and new sources of data, rankings and commentary, the announcement said. The Chambers guides list the top lawyers in 175 countries, providing independent rankings and editorial commentary.
A Chambers icon will appear next to profiles of those lawyers and law firms on Martindale.com that have been ranked by Chambers. Clicking on the icon will open a window linked to the Chambers Web site showing rankings and editorial commentary. These rankings will be in addition to Martindale’s traditional Peer Review Ratings and its more recently launched Client Review feature. Earlier this year, Martindale announced an agreement with LinkedIn to link lawyers’ Martindale listings with their LinkedIn profiles. It also continued to develop the beta version of its professional networking site, Martindale-Hubbell Connected, which I reviewed here earlier.
I am extremely honored to announce that I have been elected a trustee of the Massachusetts Bar Foundation, the premiere legal charity in Massachusetts working to increase access to justice for all people in the state. The MBF is the philanthropic partner of the Massachusetts Bar Association and is one of three charities designated to distribute IOLTA funds to programs that provide civil legal services and that enhance the administration of justice.
I have been a fellow of the MBF since 1992 and a life member since 2002. I have also served on its regional and subject-matter grant-making committees for several years. I was elected to fill the seat vacated by a retiring trustee, Carol Witt of Salem, and as such will serve an abbreviated term through January 2011. MBF President Laurence M. Johnson, a partner with Davis, Malm & D’Agostine in Boston, issued a statement announcing my election in which he said, “Attorney Ambrogi has been an active supporter of the MBF for many years, and we are delighted to welcome him to the Board. He brings a wealth of knowledge that will help the MBF to strengthen its work in promoting equal access to justice in the Commonwealth.”
