- What will this Program give me?
If you attend certain ICLE seminars--7 required, 2 elective and one limited-enrollment seminar-- within 3 years, you will receive a certificate stating that you have completed ICLE's probate and estate planning curriculum. By attending these seminars, you will ensure that you have been exposed to an organized curriculum covering basic to intermediate-level estate planning and administration.
- What do I need to do?
Fulfill the requirements for attending the specified ICLE seminars within 3 years from the time you sign up for the Program.
- Do I need to sign up?
Yes. We need to track your participation and will want to communicate with the Program participants.
- Do I need to be a Michigan Bar member to sign up?
Yes. This Program is offered only to Michigan lawyers in good standing with the State Bar of Michigan.
- Are there time limits on completing the Program?
Yes. You must complete all attendance requirements within 3 years of the date you sign up for the Program.
- How much does the Program cost?
You must pay a one-time fee of $150 when you sign up
for the certificate Program. This fee is designed to cover our administrative
costs and is nonrefundable even if you do not pursue the Program.
In addition, you will pay regular seminar attendance fees for the
seminars. However, many of the seminars are offered through the ICLE
Partnership, so if you are an ICLE Partner you will not pay for those
seminars. All registrants must pay for the Annual Institute, the Estate
Planning Software seminars and the limited-enrollment seminars. ICLE
Partners will receive a discount on the Institute and those seminars.
- I am an ICLE Partner. Do I need to pay for these seminars?
Not for most of them. You will not pay for those designated as Partnership seminars in the seminar list. You will need to pay for the Annual Institute (if that is one of your electives), for the Estate Planning Software seminar (if that is one of your electives), and the required limited-enrollment seminar, although you will receive a discount.
- How much will the limited enrollment seminar cost?
Because this is a limited-enrollment, interactive, seminar, it will be more expensive than the typical ICLE seminar. The general fee is $395, ICLE Partners receive a discounted price of $365.
- Do I need to take the seminars in any particular order?
No, but we strongly recommend that you take "Fundamentals
of Estate Planning," "Planning Techniques for the Taxable Estate"
and "Fundamentals of Estate Administration" first, or at least very
early on. You must attend these three seminars before attending
a limited-enrollment seminar.
- Are all the seminars offered every year?
No, although a number are. See the list of requirements.
- Are there special requirements to complete the Program?
You must physically attend all portions of all seminars, although you may attend at a video location. There will be commentators at all video locations. Viewing the seminar online or listening to an audio CD does not count toward your requirements. We cannot accommodate requests to give credit if you attend portions of a seminars at multiple locations (e.g. morning in Troy and the afternoon in Ann Arbor). You must sign in and sign out when you attend these seminars. You must sign in within 15 minutes of the seminar start time and you must sign out no earlier than the beginning of the last question & answer session of the seminar. There is no testing, although advance preparation will be required in the limited-enrollment seminar.
- Do the ICLE probate and estate planning seminars I took before I signed up for the Program "count" toward my Program requirements?
No. The Program seminars are being planned with the new curriculum requirements in mind.
- What level are the seminars?
See the list of requirements.
- How do I know what requirements I have fulfilled and what I still need to take?
Each July we will mail you a statement showing the requirements you have met and that you still need to fulfill. You can also check the status of your requirements online by logging in at the ICLE web site. To find out more, you can call our toll free customer support at (877) 229-4350.
- What will I get if I complete the requirements? You will receive a certificate suitable for framing stating:
The Institute of Continuing Legal Education
Certificate of Completion
[Your name]
[Year]
has completed the Probate and Estate Planning Program
Cosponsored by the Probate and Estate Planning Section, State Bar of Michigan.
View Certificate (Adobe Acrobat format)
- How do I update my certificate?
Completing the program signifies that you have completed the educational program in a particular year and received a certificate of completion.
After you have earned the certificate of completion, we will send you a certificate indicating it's been updated if you:
- Attend ICLE's Annual Probate and Estate Planning Institute
- Remain a member of the State Bar of Michigan in good standing.
Updating your certificate is completely voluntary.
The opportunity to earn an updated certificate is not available after a gap of more than 3 years since you last earned or updated your certificate.
- What about lawyer advertising?
Michigan does not have an approved "specialty certification" program
for lawyers. Therefore, lawyers in this state may not advertise that they
are "certified specialists" or "specialists" in a particular area of the
law. By participating in this program, you are attending specified seminars
offered by ICLE, which are designed to provide an organized approach to
the education necessary to practice estate planning and administration
at the basic to intermediate level. When you complete this program, you
will receive a Certificate of Completion for ICLE's Probate and Estate
Planning Program, which will be suitable for framing. You may advertise
the fact that you have this Certificate of Completion, as long as your
advertisement does not infer that you are a certified specialist. For
any questions regarding lawyer advertising, contact the State Bar of Michigan
Ethics Hotline at (517) 485-ETHX (3849).
