Professional development is essential in nearly every field of work. When it comes to running a firm of lawyers, it is imperative. In order for your team of legal professionals to keep their licenses, they must undergo a certain number of continuing education (CLE) credits annually, which means that professional development is heavily prioritized and equally respected in your field. However, there are so many professional development opportunities related to the law that you may be wondering: What are the most valuable professional development areas for legal?
Answering this question can ensure your employees or colleagues invest in the type of continuing education that will not only pay off but result in a firm of professionals who feel that their experience at your firm is valuable. Your professional development opportunities should help your team members consider their position at your firm to be a worthwhile learning opportunity.
When it comes to professional development for lawyers, the types of learning that qualify toward yearly CLE credit can vary widely. Additionally, there is a range of valuable continuing education areas that are valuable to all legal teams. Some are incredibly helpful for attorneys across the board, while others are more useful for those who work in niche corners of the law.
Interested in knowing about the most valuable professional development areas for legal firms? Read on to find out more.
The Most Valuable Professional Development Areas for Legal Professionals
If you want to offer employees opportunities for professional development, the following areas are the most valuable professional development general areas for legal field professionals right now.
Ethics
Due to changes in technology and the ways clients and attorneys interact, the rules around ethics and proper procedure are changing all the time. By offering your team member continuing education in ethics, you provide them valuable information to help ensure they can safely keep their license and do no harm to their clients. Opportunities for studying ethics around technology, social media, and texting can be particularly helpful as many of these new innovations may not have been covered in law school.
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion
Lawyers should be offered the opportunity to study diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) as one of the most valuable professional development areas for legal available today. A knowledge of DEI practices will ensure your firm is a diverse workplace with equal opportunities for all types of lawyers. DEI education can also provide information on how attorneys can diversify their client base and help lawyers who are in minority groups feel more at home in your firm. It can also help ensure you workplace is open and fair, which is good both for your team and the clients you serve.
Self-Care
Being an attorney is a stressful profession. Often, people's fate (whether they are free or imprisoned) rests in the hands of your team members. To ensure your team feels good and is not bogged down by stress, they must maintain good physical and mental health. One of the most valuable professional development areas for legal includes courses you can offer your lawyers on self-care and stress reduction. For your team, self-care professional development can help them learn how to stay well despite a heavy and intense workload. It will allow them to avoid burnout and remain happy and productive working for your firm.
COVID-19 Protocols
Workplaces are changing everywhere thanks to COVID-19. Because COVID-19 is so timely and present, it is one of the most valuable professional development areas for legal firms. The employees at your law firm should learn about COVID-19 protocols at your firm. This can be how to manage in-person client meetings, hearings, trials, and more. You can also help attorneys learn more about the legality of requiring vaccines, rules around COVID testing in the workplace, and more. COVID-19 education for your firm members can keep them healthy and show them that you prioritize their health.
How Professional Development Videos Make Legal Learning Even More Powerful
Your team of lawyers is often incredibly busy, and their income depends on billing hours. If you want them to stay on continue their training and education but do not feel you can ask them to leave the office to go to a conference or course, one of the best alternatives is offering access to professional development videos.
Professional development videos can come from a wide range of sources, and they can cover any of the most valuable professional development areas for legal professionals. With virtual professional development opportunities, your lawyers are more likely to undertake voluntary learning and regularly complete mandatory CLE hours. The flexibility offered by professional development videos makes them easier and more convenient for learners, and they do not add unnecessary stress to an already incredibly stressful schedule. Help your team simply learn without adding any additional burden to their daily schedule.
How Viostream Can Help Your Legal Office With Professional Development
Professional development is essential for anyone who works in the law. In-person conferences and courses are a great way to learn more about the field you work in and to cover the most valuable professional development areas for legal field professionals. However, videos can also be an effective and cost-efficient way for attorneys to continue their legal training.
You can provide a library of professional development videos using Viostream. Viostream is one of the world's leading video platforms for businesses like law firms, and your firm can use Viostream to build a private library of training or learning videos for your team so they can continue their professional development. Start your free trial today to see how Viostream works for learning and how you can help your team earn their CLE hours by creating your own CLE videos.
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