We are saddened to inform you that due to the COVID-19 crisis, coupled with the possibility of the RI Convention Center being needed as an additional Lifespan hospital should their permanent hospitals run out of room, we have no choice but to cancel the 2020 Annual Meeting. However, as we are committed to providing the unique and essential legal education programs that are offered at our Meeting to our members, the Association and Annual Meeting Planning Committee are working hard to offer many of the planned workshops as standalone, live webinar programs during the months of May and June.
We know that many members use our Meeting as a means of fulfilling their CLE requirements for the year. To clarify, there is no limit to the number of live webinars members may attend and earn credits for within a reporting year. Live webinars are the equivalent of attending a CLE program in person. With on-demand, or pre-recorded, seminars, members are only permitted to earn and report a maximum of SIX credits in a reporting year according to MCLE guidelines.
We are committed to providing enough of our planned Annual Meeting workshops as live webinars this spring to fulfill all of your reporting needs. Some of our topics follow:
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Navigating Multi-Level Regulatory Schemes: Examples in Cannabis and Liquor
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Current developments in estates, guardian ships and trusts
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Unauthorized practice of law in reals estate
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Civility: a pillar of professional responsibility
We are still discussing ideas for rescheduling our Meeting's social events, at which we will give our exceptional award winners the recognition they deserve. These events will likely need to be scheduled later this year, when more is known about the safety of gathering in numbers.
As disappointed as we are that we will not be meeting in person for our premier event, we know that this is the right course of action to protect the safety and well-being of our members. We plan to send out an electronic schedule of our virtual programs as soon as possible with more information on the format, dates, specific content, registration, and many other details, which will also be posted on the ribar.com website. We appreciate your cooperation during this unusual time; technology may have taken the driver's seat, but it's good to know our community is still active and supportive.