Comedic Legal Education: CLE that’s Not Just for April Fool’s Day

Mesa, Arizona March 4, 2006—Although forty states currently require licensed attorneys to attend continuing legal education classes, many lawyers dread attending the courses. Increasingly, however, bar associations and law firms are challenging this view by turning to outside providers like “Humorist at Law” Sean Carter to add a spark of “lawghter” to their CLE events.

Last summer, for example, the Utah State Bar kicked off its annual meeting with one of Carter’s ethics presentations. “Our audience was enthralled by the humor,” recounted Connie Howard, Utah State Bar CLE and Member Benefits Administrator. “This presentation drew more favorable comments from our members than any other presentation we have given in the last four years.”

Despite its popularity with audiences, the idea was slow to catch on with CLE organizers. “In the beginning, I suspect people felt that humor would detract from the educational component of the programs,” says Carter. But Bill Corbett, Executive Director of the Louisiana Association of Defense Counsel, suggests that humor actually enhances the learning process: “Carter’s review of the Supreme Court term was one of the most entertaining, and yet informative, CLE presentations I have heard.”

Eleanor Southers, Co-Chair of the California State Bar Solo and Small Firm Section’s Education Committee, agrees. The section has retained Carter for its last two annual CLE events. “Carter’s programs make bias, ethics and similar heavyweight issues entertaining,” said Southers.

With the roar of laughter ringing in their ears, more CLE organizers are starting to come around: Carter will conduct more than one hundred “comedic legal education” seminars this year alone. “I receive two to three new inquiries each day, from everywhere from Bozeman, Montana to New York City. My goal is to get to all fifty states by 2007.” Carter is scheduled to conduct seminars in twenty-four states in the coming months.

Carter also presents his unique seminars to law firms and in-house corporate legal departments. His clients include mega-firms such as Akin Gump, Heller Ehrman and Fisher & Phillips, as well as the in-house legal departments of corporations such as Xerox, AOL and Taco Bell. “Carter had audiences laughing hysterically at two of our national client conferences. His original sense of humor adds a terrific dimension to an otherwise serious legal program,” explained James J. McDonald, Jr., a partner at Fisher & Phillips LLP.

Is comedic legal education the wave of the future or just a passing fad? Only time will tell. Yet, for the foreseeable future, lawghter seems to be the best medicine for CLE boredom.

About Sean Carter
Sean Carter is a syndicated columnist whose work has been featured in publications including The National Law Journal and the ABA Journal e-Report. He is also a popular speaker who presents “comedic legal education” programs for law firms, bar associations and in-house legal departments. Mr. Carter is the author of "If it Does Not Fit, Must You Acquit? Your Humorous Guide to the Law," published by Lawpsided Press