No field or discipline seems to be immune to the effects of the pandemic. And that includes educating and continuously updating the country’s lawyers. One visionary and digital innovator has successfully navigated these turbulent times by launching a groundbreaking e-learning platform for lawyers.
Lawyer Peaches Martinez-Aranas of ACCESS MCLE established the first-ever digital platform for legal practitioners who wish to comply with their Mandatory Continuing Legal Education (MCLE).
“Even as early as 2017, way before the pandemic, we were devising ways to better cater to the needs of lawyers as far as MCLE is concerned. The future is digital, and we foresaw the need to bring MCLE online – making it more accessible and convenient for all lawyers across and even outside the country,” shares Aranas, who is also the managing partner of LMA law firm.
Aranas is truly a visionary and a trailblazer, having paved the way for MCLE to be delivered online and on demand. Until ACCESS, this was but just an idea.
She conceptualized online MCLE in 2017 and, together with her team, presented and defended this before the Supreme Court en banc in November 2019. “It was really through our efforts that MCLE online is now a reality. Before us, many talked of doing it but no one really pursued it like we did. And though others have followed suit, we remain to be the country’s trusted leading online MCLE provider with courses that are designed to educate,” Aranas says proudly. “We don’t want lawyers to just comply with the mandatory requirement of the law, we want lawyers to actually learn. We want them to enjoy and draw real value from our courses,” she adds.
Having the concept approved and securing its accreditation from the SC was a meticulous and grueling process – especially as ACCESS was the first to present such a groundbreaking idea.
“We meticulously curated the curriculum with Dean Ada Abad and the faculty of Adamson University’s College of Law,” she shares. “We partnered with esteemed legal luminaries to share their knowledge and impart their expertise through our online courses. We worked with a team of dedicated instructional designers who spent hundreds of man hours developing courses that will engage lawyers to absorb and retain knowledge. Finally, we collaborated with a young, creative agency and production house that specializes in developing learning modules to ensure top-quality courses.”
With every new release, ACCESS MCLE explores the creative expanse and power of online learning.
“When we think of true online learning, it should be engaging and participative – and not just watching a lecture online in video format. This is not best practice. We want our learners to be glued to our courses. Thus, we have developed courses that are fully interactive with features that enhance learning,” says Aranas.
Some of these features include the follow-along transcribed lecture guides, interactive games and quizzes with a virtual proctor.
Regarded as the new “netflix for lawyers,” ACCESS MCLE makes compliance easier, as it offers lawyers utmost convenience. These courses are online and on demand. They can be taken anytime, anywhere, and can be watched from the comfort of your own homes and offices. Moreover, lawyers don’t waste time in traffic or lose precious billable hours.
To date, ACCESS MCLE has a full course of 36 credit units with over 22 courses now live and available on its website – with 14 more coming during the first quarter of 2021.
“We believe that Philippine lawyers deserve online courses that are global in content, design, and delivery,” Aranas concludes. “For us at ACCESS, this is not just a business; this is our legacy. We are committed to elevating online MCLE and uplifting the Philippine legal industry through education that is accessible, of high quality, and which is on par with the education in first world nations.”
For more information, register at www.accessonline.ph #ACCESSMCLE #MCLEOnline #netflixforlawyers #designedtoeducate
