AELE’s Certified Litigation Specialist ™
program
AELE seminars provide credit toward the
• Certified
Litigation Specialist ™ (CLS) designation for
non-lawyers, or
• Litigation Professional (LP) recognition for members of the bar
To
earn the designation, a person must attend three qualifying seminars in a
50-month period, and satisfy supplemental reading requirements. The designation is conferred at no
additional cost to the applicant.
What is AELE’s
education-related history?
AELE was chartered as an educational organization in 1966 by four active or former professors – all of whom had law enforcement or prosecution experience (Note 1) AELE is a research driven, not-for-profit Illinois corporation that provides seminars and monthly publications to criminal justice and public safety professionals. AELE does not engage in partisan political activities and is not a subsidiary or component of another entity.
AELE has published legal periodicals since 1973 and has sponsored nationally acclaimed legal seminars since 1974. The cumulative attendance is more than 15,000.
AELE has an Academic Committee that sets the standards for the
Certified Litigation Specialist ™
designation and for recognition as a Litigation Professional. (Note 2)
Who can qualify
as a Certified Litigation Specialist (or Litigation Professional)?
Non-lawyers can earn the Certified Litigation Specialist
™ (CLS) designation by attending three different qualifying
seminars within the past 50 months and familiarizing yourself with two
documents provided as “resource materials”.
Lawyers can qualify for recognition as a Litigation
Professional by fulfilling the same requirements.
There are no other educational, occupational or experience
requirements.
What are the categories for Certified Litigation
Specialist (or Litigation Professional)?
There are two CLS categories: “Police” and “Corrections” litigation. The three seminars required for each of
these categories are:
Police Litigation
• Sudden and In-Custody Death -or - Police Civil Liability
• Lethal and Less Lethal
Force
• Discipline & Internal
Investigations
Corrections Litigation
• Jail & Prisoner Legal
Issues
• Lethal and Less Lethal
Force
• Discipline & Internal
Investigations
CLS
certification in Public Employment Law is no longer offered.
Are there time limits to
complete three qualifying seminars?
Yes. All three must be completed
within a 50-month period.
How long is the designation valid?
The designation expires at the end
of the 60th month from the date of the first qualifying
seminar.
Examples: If you attended three qualifying
seminars, the first of which was in March 2003, the designation will expire
How is a designation renewed?
A new or renewal application must
be completed and faxed to AELE. It must
list at least three qualifying seminars during a 50 month period preceding the
application
What are the “additional
resource materials” reading requirements?
Attendants are furnished a CD-ROM at each
seminar, containing articles, research studies and other documents. The
Academic Committee has chosen two of these that merit close attention, and a
CLS or LP recipient must indicate, in the application form, that he or she is
generally familiar with the content of the selected documents. Each person’s
knowledge of a subject is different, and the familiarization process could vary
from a short period to several hours. The documents are (PDF format)
• Principles for Promoting Police Integrity, U.S. Dept. of Justice
• New Challenges for Law Enforcement Professional Standards
Officers
(Online article discusses training and
policy failures).
Because these are “resource”
materials, they do not have to be read like a novel. It is sufficient to page
through the articles and documents with enough attention to remember the basic
contents, in general terms. There is no test or qualifying examination.
What if I attended a seminar several years ago, before the required reading materials were added?
On request, AELE will provide a person who has completed
three qualifying seminars with an updated CD-ROM that contains both documents,
at no charge.
Can I qualify in more than one
category?
A person may qualify in two categories by
taking the four different qualifying seminars in the last 50 months, or all three
categories by taking the five different qualifying seminars in the last 50
months. A person could have different expiration dates for each category,
depending on the sequence of the subjects.
What are the dates and places of qualifying
seminars?
è Click here
for a list of qualifying seminars for certification (including dates and places offered).
What is the cost for receiving the CLS designation (or LP recognition)?
There is no fee to receive
the CLS designation (or LP recognition).
The CLS application form (or LP recognition form) should be printed,
completed and faxed to AELE. After an applicant’s attendance at the qualifying
seminars has been verified, AELE will send a personalized, diploma-style
document suitable for framing, imprinted with the person’s name, the category
they have qualified in, and the dates of validity. If a person has qualified in
multiple categories, the document will list the valid dates for each category. A sample CLS certificate and LP recognition
document are on the AELE website.
How can I identify myself as
a Certified Litigation Specialist or a Litigation Professional?
In addition to receiving the diploma-style document, Certified Litigation Specialists will be sent a “Litigation Specialist” pin.
The pin is ¾-inch diameter
You may also indicate your status on business cards, letterhead and elsewhere – while in good standing. Lawyers who are Litigation Professionals may indicate the status on their résumés, if consistent with state bar rules of professional conduct.
What are the benefits of
becoming a Certified Litigation Specialist ™
or a Litigation Professional?
AELE formally recognizes the
fact that an individual has completed three (or more) qualifying seminars in
the last 60 months and is familiar with additional
resource materials. It is not an
endorsement and does not attest to a person’s occupational or professional
abilities. It is not a substitute for a
degree or professional license, although attendance at the seminars may
partially satisfy state-imposed in-service training or continuing education
requirements. The designation is, and should be recognized as, a symbol of
achievement.
Are there any discounts for repeating a seminar for CLS or LP credit?
Yes. A
Certified Litigation Specialist ™ or a Litigation
Professional is entitled to a $100 tuition reduction on each qualifying course
that is repeated to maintain their CLS or LP status. That is in addition to the reduction offered to multiple
attendants from the same agency, firm or other entity. Additionally, if a seminar is full, AELE
guarantees an opening if a CLS or LP attendant registers at least four weeks in
advance. This discount is only
available to individuals who are repeating a seminar to maintain their CLS or
LP status.
What happens after the designation expires and is not renewed?
You can state on your vita that you earned the designation, and the years of validity. Because a person’s employment or occupational specialty might change, you might choose not to renew the designation by repeating the qualifying seminars. That in no way detracts from the fact that you earned the designation during the period of validity.
What
records are kept by AELE?
There is an archived, computer-based record of seminar attendance. A paper copy of a person’s CLS or LP achievement record is kept in an alphabetically sorted file folder, and another in a chronologically sorted folder.
Once I have attended the qualifying seminars, how do I apply?
On the
AELE website, click on the link for the CLS (or LP) form.
What if I have more questions?
Contact
the staff via e-mail at staff@aele.org