To participate, you must be a Michigan lawyer and a member in good standing of the State Bar of Michigan.

To meet attendance requirements:

• You may attend live or video presentations of the Certificate seminars or watch up to 5 on-demand webcasts (online seminars) or live webcasts (any of the required and elective seminars that are recorded are eligible). You should print a Certificate of Completion at the end of the live or on-demand webcast.
• You must attend the entire seminar to receive credit.
• You are required to sign in at the beginning and sign out at the end of each seminar.
• 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 and Answer session of the seminar.
• You must attend the entire seminar at one location on one date (we cannot track "split attendance" accurately).
• Listening to an audio CD does not count toward your requirements.

See specific requirements for Probate and Estate Planning Certificate Program and Family Law Certificate Program.

You must complete all requirements within 3 years of the date you sign up for the Certificate program (the date your application and $150 registration fee are entered in ICLE's records). Seminars attended before you sign up do not count toward your Certificate requirements. However, you can sign up for the Certificate program within two weeks after attending a Certificate seminar and receive credit for attending that seminar only.

Each summer, we will send all Certificate program participants a statement of what requirements they have fulfilled and what remain to be fulfilled. You can also check your information at any time by logging in at www.icle.org. Both of these records show your beginning date in the program (the date the 3 years for completion is counted from).

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 at the basic to intermediate level. When you complete this program, you will receive a Certificate of Completion, 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 imply that you are a certified specialist. When you receive your Certificate, you will also receive sample language you can use for advertising. For any questions regarding lawyer advertising, contact the State Bar of Michigan Ethics Hotline at (517) 485-ETHX (3849).

• 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 either ICLE's Annual Family Law Institute, for the Family Law Certificate Program, or ICLE's Annual Probate and Estate Planning Institute, for the Probate and Estate Planning Certificate Program, and
  • 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.

Each certificate program also has special policies:

• Special policies for Family Law Certificate Program
• Special policies for Probate and Estate Planning Certificate Program

For answers to frequently asked questions, see:

• Family Law Certificate Program FAQs
• Probate and Estate Planning Certificate Program FAQs