For more than four decades, the Center for Continuing Legal Education operated as a collection of individual programs. Each program is headed by a chair or planning committee.

That is the purpose of the CLE Advisory Board, which held its first meeting in February of 1998. Since then, It has supported the creation of two divisions (the Institute for Litigation Studies and Law & Technology), both of which have been created by the Board of Trustees. The Continuing Legal Education Advisory Board has been a sounding board for new programs. At the suggestion of Judge Patrick Higginbotham, it recommended the establishment of an Institute for Litigation Studies, which was subsequently created by the Board of Trustees.

This program offers an intensive introductory course for the probate and estate planning practitioner on legal and practical problems encountered in planning estates, drafting wills and trusts, and administering estates in both community property and common-law states, including a consideration of relevant income, estate and gift tax principles.

The Board proposed a new high tech center, resulting in the newest division of The Center for American and International Law the Institute on Law and Technology.

Short Course on Antitrust Law
Professor Thomas Kauper of the University of Michigan chairs the Annual Course on Antitrust Law.

Gain a basic understanding of Antitrust Law in this intensive course. The curriculum outlines the impact and application of the Sherman, Clayton, Robinson-Patman, and Federal Trade Commission Acts. Emphasis is placed on practical problems of corporate compliance and the avoidance of costly antitrust litigation. There will also be discussion about how to counsel both large and small enterprises on antitrust issues – specifically, problems concerning relationships with competitors, suppliers, dealers and customer.

Short Course on Labor Law and Labor Arbitration
Dean Douglas Ray of the University of Toledo School of Law chairs the very successful Short Course on Labor Law and Labor Arbitration in April of each year.

This intensive basic course on labor law and labor arbitration, emphasizes the legal framework within which employers, unions and individual employees pursue their interests. It is designed to be a practical guide. The first three days feature instruction on the basic aspects of labor law, with concentration on the National Labor Relations act and collective bargaining contracts negotiated under the Act. The last day and a half focus, in part, on the process of arbitrating grievance disputes under collective bargaining agreements.

The courses features a mock pre-election hearing conducted by the Region 16 NLRB Staff; and a Mock Arbitration Hearing conducted by experienced advocates and arbitrators.