Festival of Legal Learning Celebrates 30 Years in February

Attorneys can earn 12 hours of CLE credit at the annual legal learning conference in Chapel Hill February 7-8.

For 30 years, UNC School of Law’s annual Festival of Legal Learning has provided continuing legal education for more than 15,000 attorneys and judges from across the country. Launched in 1980 to raise money for the school and showcase the faculty’s expertise, Festival also gives back to the legal profession by providing a forum for attorneys to learn the most recent developments in the law and satisfy their CLE requirements. Festival has greatly benefited from having four Carolina Law faculty members serve as its director including Don Clifford, Judith Wegner, Tom Kelley and Mary-Rose Papandrea. For the past two decades, Jackie C. Ward, director of CLE at Carolina Law, has produced Festival and fostered its growth.

To celebrate the 30th anniversary on February 7-8 at the Friday Center in Chapel Hill, N.C., Festival will provide more than 100 sessions presented by 136 speakers who are recognized experts in their fields and include professors from Carolina Law as well as distinguished guest faculty. The sessions will cover hot topics such as WikiLeaks, impeachment, monuments, and mental health in the legal profession.

Festival is designed for lawyers and legal professionals to build basics, sharpen skills, provide perspectives, and highlight new developments in the field of law. Attendees may earn up to 12 hours of CLE credit at the conference, to satisfy the N.C State Bar’s yearly technology, ethics/professional responsibility, and substance abuse/mental health requirements.

Attendees may customize their learning and choose the courses most beneficial to their needs for less than $50 per credit hour.

New this year, UNC-Chapel Hill alumni are invited to the visit the Tar Heel Lounge during Festival to relax, charge electronics and enjoy a quiet space with light refreshments.